Alabama football head coach Nick Saban took responsibility for the Crimson Tide's problems this season during an interview with ESPN's Mark Schlabach that published Thursday.

The Crimson Tide have particularly struggled in the turnover-margin department (six takeaways, 11 giveaways), and Saban made his remarks when referencing how that hasn't been a concern in the past.

"It's never been an issue," Saban said. "We're always plus in [turnover margin] and don't turn the ball over. We get turnovers on defense. We've always been in the plus category, and then we do a thing that shows what the cost of a turnover is. We take all the turnovers for the season and say, 'What was the result of that?' It's like turnovers gained are four or five points. Turnovers lost, you give up three or four points.

"Obviously, when you're teaching and regardless of what you're teaching and how you're teaching it, if the pupils don't get it, I put it on me. So, we've just got to find a better way to emphasize it. I watch practice where we do turnover drills. I'm talking about good guys against good guys to emphasize that. And when you emphasize things, people have to respond to it."

The 7-2 Crimson Tide fell to ninth in the College Football Playoff rankings after a 32-31 overtime loss at LSU on Saturday.