Say what?! Translating the peak college football coachspeak from Week 13

Thankfulness was ever-present in this week’s college football coachspeak allotment.

College football is winding down here in a few weeks, but we still have coachspeak to translate.

As the calendar flips to the final month of the worst year of our lives, the college football season will be wrapping up before you know it. There are a few weeks left in the regular season before the bowl games and the College Football Playoff. All the while, we have learned how to translate coachspeak. As the final exam approaches, let’s flex our muscles and tackle the good stuff.

Giving credit to the opponent is a great way to address the media after a lose

James Franklin on Penn State getting its first win of the season out Michigan

“I’m just happy for our kids,” said Franklin. “I know at the end of the day people are focused on football, and they want a couple hours to get away from reality and support Penn State football. And I get that, but there’s been a lot of things going on this year. And to see our team battle through that adversity, and our program battle through that adversity, with all types of limitations and issues and challenges and depth, I couldn’t be happier for our for our players. I’m just so happy for them.”

Coachspeak Translator: James Franklin could not be more relieved his team finally won a game. This was a Penn State team expected to contend for a College Football Playoff berth. Instead, it had to wait until the final week of November to beat a bad Michigan team. Regardless, it has been a brutal year for Penn State and Franklin is truly thankful to not go 0-for in 2020.

Dabo Swinney on what it means to get back in the win column for Clemson

“Awesome game,” said Swinney. “Just excited to play. We talked about setting the tone early, and we did that. First quarter, we dominated. Defense set the tone. This quarterback had four picks all year, and he had four tonight. Offensively, we were explosive. Had 31 points in the first quarter, the most ever at Clemson in the first quarter. 436 passing and 145 rushing. A lot of those passing yards were run calls.”

“Hit some lulls in the section and third quarters, but the guys kept competing.”

“Defensively, good to see us containing. Very good quarterback and runner.”

“Still some work to do there, but we were much better.”

“Just a wonderful day for Clemson football.”

Coachspeak Translator: Dabo Swinney is very high on his defense to force as many turnovers as it did on Pitt Saturday. He knows this will be the key should the Tigers be able to contend for the College Football Playoff at season’s end. Most importantly, getting that bad taste from the Notre Dame loss out of their mouths was exactly what the doctor ordered. Clemson is now back to good.

Nick Saban on Steve Sarkisian filling in for him as the Alabama head coach for the Iron Bowl

“I didn’t think there was a lot,” said Saban. “I didn’t think there was a lot of those real tough situations that came up. A couple of times we made it on third down, but we could have gone for it on fourth down. Those decisions didn’t really come up. I thought he was well prepared for what he needed to do, and I think he did a really good job.”

Coachspeak Translator: Nick Saban had no doubts Steve Sarkisian was going to run his team wonderfully in his absence. Again, the Crimson Tide prepared for this when it looked like Saban was not going to be able to coach a few weeks ago vs. the Georgia Bulldogs. Saban also recognizes Sarkisian will be leading his own team next season, college or pro. This is inevitable.

Gus Malzahn on Auburn getting blown out by Alabama in the Iron Bowl

“Give Alabama credit, they are a very, very talented team,” said Malzahn. “We knew that, but we came in here with the mindset that we wanted to win the game. To beat a team like that, you have to make plays. We didn’t do that. We didn’t play our best. It’s obvious, and I think they played very well.”

Coachspeak Translator: The Iron Bowl has been Gus Malzahn’s saving grace at Auburn historically. His Tigers win just enough at home vs. the Crimson Tide for him to stay employed and amass impenetrable buyouts. However, Auburn has not won in Tuscaloosa in ages. Alabama may be the better team, but the talent gap between these two blue-bloods should not be this hopelessly vast.

Jimbo Fisher on beating rival LSU in an ugly game all-around for the Aggies

“Proud of the team and found a way to win,” said Fisher. “Thought the defense and Nic Constantinou were really good, return game was not. Offensively way too inconsistent, offensive line didn’t block well, wide receivers have to get open and there were missed throws as well. Found a way to win the game though and that’s what’s important.”

Coachspeak Translator: While Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies are happy to get the win, they understand that they may have needed some style points to help them get into the College Football Playoff. Though they still could at 9-1 as a one-loss, at-large, blowing out the LSU Tigers in a huge rivalry game would have spoken volumes to the Selection Committee.

So what is the theme tying this week’s college football coachspeak together? Pride. Playing hard is one thing, but playing hard and winning is another. All five of these coaches are proud of the way their players have played at times this season. This has been a challenging year for everyone, so regardless of how the wins and losses pile up, we all have something to be thankful for.

It may be a long December for some college programs, but there is still reason to believe for some.

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