Alabama and Kent State will play Saturday afternoon for the second time in six football seasons after never having played before.
There is a simple explanation for that.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is a 1973 Kent State graduate and got his master’s degree in sports communication from the Ohio school in 1975. He started his coaching career with the Golden Flashes as a graduate assistant (1973-74) and as linebackers coach (1975-76) under Don James and kept his alma mater in mind after arriving at Alabama in 2007.
Alabama and Kent State opened the 2011 season against each other, with the Crimson Tide winning 48-7.
“I’m happy to play any Mid-American Conference school in terms of the tradition that league has and the number of upsets that they’ve been able to effectively have against good teams over the years,” Saban said Wednesday. “It’s a quality league that has a lot of good coaches, and the fact that it’s my alma mater – they were looking for a game, and we needed a game. It was helpful to them and it was helpful to us, and I guess it’s good for everybody.”
The top-ranked Crimson Tide (3-0) continued preparations for Kent State (1-2) on Wednesday with a two-hour practice in full pads.
Saban was a senior defensive back in 1972, when Kent State won its first and only MAC championship. The Golden Flashes earned an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl, known now as the Citrus Bowl, where they lost 21-18 to the University of Tampa.
“It was certainly something special,” Saban said. “It was a long time coming. I know when I watch film and see the banner they have in the end zone that says 1972 Tangerine Bowl, it reminds me of the players and coaches who put in the work to do it.”
Saban’s wife, Terry, also graduated from Kent State, but he could not remember the last time the two went back to visit due to his schedule.
One of the most vivid memories of his time there is not so pleasant, as Saban was a freshman in May 1970 when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War. Four students were killed, with nine more injured during an incident that instantly made national headlines.
“Nobody could ever quite figure out how that happened,” Saban said. “It seemed pretty unnecessary, but I had class with one of the students that was killed, Allison Krause. I didn’t know her or anything that well, but it was a pretty chilling experience and something that makes you view things a little bit differently and certainly have a much better appreciation of not taking for granted life itself.”
Tide tidbits
Junior receiver Robert Foster tweaked his knee during Tuesday’s practice, Saban said, and is now questionable for Saturday along with fellow junior receiver ArDarius Stewart. Saban says he knows the status of junior defensive back Tony Brown, who has been serving an NCAA suspension, but that he could not announce it Wednesday.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.