Nick Saban freaked out on the sideline as Alabama melted down vs. Tennessee

Alabama football played an uncharacteristically sloppy first half against Tennessee prompting a sideline tantrum from Nick Saban.

Tennessee gave Alabama the opposite of a warm welcome at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.

The Volunteers jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter as the Crimson Tide committed a slew of penalties and looked completely out of sorts.

That only became more clear in the second quarter when the punt return unit gifted Tennessee a fresh possession on an inexplicable muff.

Head coach Nick Saban couldn’t control the anger and frustration in his body as he freaked out on the sideline after the turnover.

Nick Saban lost his mind on the sidelines after an Alabama turnover

You have to feel for Saban there. His outburst felt justified given the performance of his team up to that point.

The offense had just been forced into a field goal near the goal line but the defense finally got a stop and forced a punt. Alabama trailed 21-10 and had the chance to cut the deficit to one score with an answer on offense.

Then, special teams blew it. The Crimson Tide should have gotten the ball near midfield after a short punt. Instead, Tennessee advanced across midfield because of a boneheaded decision by an Alabama player to pick up the loose ball. Hendon Hooker quickly engineered another touchdown drive to put the Volunteers up 28-10.

In a matchup between Top 10 teams, every detail matters. Alabama was already having trouble getting the little things right. A big thing like a special teams turnover is exactly the opposite of what they needed in that spot.

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