Saban: Media provides Alabama with 'rat poison'

Nick Saban celebrated Alabama's victory Saturday by, predictably, showing up to his postgame press conference in an extremely bitter mood.

"I'm trying to get our players to listen to me instead of listening to you guys," he told the media, as relayed by Max Olson of The Athletic. "All that stuff you write about how good we are, all that stuff they hear on ESPN, it's like poison. It's like taking poison. Like rat poison.

"So I'm asking them, 'Are you gonna listen to me, or you are gonna listen to these guys about how good you are?'"

The Crimson Tide notched their sixth consecutive victory, disposing of Texas A&M 27-19 at Kyle Field. Rather than commending the performance, however, Saban lamented his team's inability to stomp on the Aggies' throats in the second half.

"My biggest disappointment was that we were up 24-3 in the game and didn't finish," he said, per Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News.

The eight-point triumph marked Alabama's smallest margin of victory in a game this season.

The Tide will attempt to get back to their more dominant ways Oct. 14 against a struggling Arkansas team. The Razorbacks lost Saturday for the third time in four games, and own a 2-3 record overall.