Alabama head coach Nick Saban revealed the cause of the botched snap on the final play of the team's 27-20 loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
On the last chance of overtime, center Seth McLaughlin scores the ball low, disrupting Alabama's 4th-and-goal attempt from the 3-yard line, giving Michigan an easy stop and a semifinal victory. concluded.
This came after McLaughlin missed two other snaps in the second half, an issue that has persisted all season.
“It wasn't a great snap,” Saban said of the expensive snap. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday. “It was a low shoelace clipping sound. Now you don't look up. It becomes difficult to make cuts like that.”
Saban said the problem with some of McLaughlin's snaps was that McLaughlin mistakenly heard Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe clap for snapping the ball several times during the game. He was concentrating on the fact that he was thinking about it.
“But our center thought someone was making a noise that sounded like clapping,” Saban said. “And he sometimes snapped the ball early and sometimes we weren't ready. That's a big problem for our quarterback.”
Saban also acknowledged that Milroe's interaction with his center “has been a bit of a problem for us all year.”
Milroe addressed the snap issue after the Rose Bowl, telling reporters, “Me and Seth have been talking a lot about that.”
McLaughlin will not return to Tuscaloosa next season, his final year of eligibility.
The center confirmed in an Instagram post that the player has entered the transfer portal, following multiple reports regarding his departure.
“I love this school, I value this program, and I am deeply grateful to our fans,” McLaughlin wrote in a farewell post. “Their passion for the game and love for Alabama football are some of the main reasons why it's so fun to play here. I'm excited to see what the future holds.”
