Nick Saban isn't a licensed sports psychologist and he's the first to tell you that.

The Alabama head coach insists he knows more about Xs and Os and diagnosing zone blocking than anything to do with the mind, and that might be true. Yet Saban might be more in tune with the psyche and the ways to impact it than any football coach in America.

Just look at kicker Adam Griffith.

The confidence of a kicker is always a precarious item. One bad kick can mess with the player's head, in turn setting him up for even more failure. It's a vicious cycle and can get ugly when fans turn on the kicker.

Griffith started off the season poorly and was in a funk. He missed his first four field goals to start the season, including one from only 24-yards, and the public criticism of the Alabama kicker grew. There were fans that wanted Saban to make a change and booed Griffith after a missed kick against Middle Tennessee, but instead he doubled down on his kicker. He knew Griffith needed a confidence boost rather than another person putting him down, so he publicly backed the junior kicker.

Since then, Griffith has made 13 of his last 15 kicks.

"We stuck with him and we believe in him and we try to be positive with him and try to help him so that he can accomplish what he wants to accomplish," Saban said. "I don't know that anybody knows a positive attitude works, but everybody knows a negative one doesn't so we try to stay positive with our guys."

At the start of the season, no one could have imagined Adam Griffith hitting a 55-yard field goal. It's to Saban's credit that Griffith had the confidence to sidle up to his head coach during the game and tell him he could make the long kick. Saban obliged and Griffith delivered to give Alabama a 13-10 halftime lead against LSU. He'd later add another field goal in Alabama's 30-16 win.

After the game, Griffith had a swagger that hadn't been seen all year.

"I'm surprised they think I can't do it," he said about the long field goal. "I'm not sure if they watch me in practice or whatever. I can kick it far and I finally got a chance to prove it to everyone."

People love to joke about "The Process" and Saban's way of getting players to buy into his system, but it's brilliant in its simplicity. He's the master of knowing when to build up his team -- after a loss or close win -- and when to tear them down and point out every little flaw as he does after a blowout win or before a cupcake FCS opponent. He studies his players' body language, consults with experts and comes up with the best way to motivate each player.

Without the right approach from Saban, Griffith could have been a lost cause this season. Instead, he's made his last eight field goals and can be counted on in big moments. That could be huge Saturday against No. 17 Mississippi State in what's been a close game in recent years.

He's not Dr. Saban, but he deserves an honorary degree.