Nick Saban has spent plenty of time talking about Kamario Taylor this season, and for a good reason. The Mississippi State quarterback is young, still learning what comes with being the guy at quarterback and, according to Saban, already showing one of the traits of someone who can handle the position at the highest level.
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That trait was on full display when Mississippi State fell behind South Carolina 16-0 last week. Taylor had thrown an interception, the Bulldogs were on the road, and the game had started about as badly as it could. None of it seemed to matter once Taylor settled in, and Saban loved the response.
“Mississippi State gets behind 16-0 last week at South Carolina, and this Kamario Taylor guy is, like, you know, sh– happens,” Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Just keeps playing. They take the game over, on the road, in a difficult place to play. This guy is a young quarterback. I know he’s not a freshman, but he’s an outstanding player. That shows me this guy has the right stuff to play this position.”
Saban has spent decades watching quarterbacks deal with the good and bad that come with the position, and he knows a mistake early in a game can become much bigger if the quarterback starts chasing it. Taylor did not do that against South Carolina.
Mississippi State eventually took control, turning the 16-point deficit into its first SEC win of the season. Taylor finished with 251 passing yards on 18-of-26 passing, threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers, and kept the Bulldogs moving after the early mistake.
That is exactly what Saban was getting at when he talked about the pressure that comes with playing quarterback.
“You’re going to get criticized more at this position, you’re going to get more credit at this position,” Saban said. “You’ve got to deal with ups and downs more at this position. Young guys sometimes can do that, sometimes they struggle with that.”
Taylor is already doing it, and that makes the comeback more than just another good statistical afternoon, as the Bulldogs needed their quarterback to absorb a rough start and keep making decisions as the game changed around him, and he did it.
Now the timing gets interesting for Alabama, because Mississippi State faces Missouri on Saturday before traveling into the next stage of its schedule, with Alabama waiting on the other side. By then, Taylor could have another ranked opponent under his belt. Mississippi State enters the matchup at 3-2 overall, looking to climb in the SEC standings, while Alabama sits at 4-1, still chasing a return to playoff contention.
Alabama is still trying to establish what the program looks like under Kalen DeBoer. Entering his third season, DeBoer has a 20-8 record in Tuscaloosa, but the Crimson Tide have not returned to the standard that became normal under Saban.
Last season ended with a loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and then a heavy Rose Bowl defeat to eventual national champion Indiana. The pressure around DeBoer has followed him into this season, even with Saban taking a measured view of his successor.
At SEC Media Days, Saban said Alabama was “flying under the radar a bit” and said that the lack of overwhelming preseason expectations could actually help the program. Saban has publicly backed DeBoer’s direction, calling the program’s lower preseason expectations potentially beneficial.
The former coach has already called the quarterback “the truth and the light” earlier this season and has repeatedly highlighted his arm talent, athleticism, and ability to create plays.
For DeBoer, that means another test against a quarterback Saban clearly believes has the right temperament for the position. If Taylor can keep responding to adversity the way he did against South Carolina, Alabama will have to deal with more than a talented young player.