In journalism school, as far as I know, they don't teach you to begin your SEC press conference questions with "Excuse the Star Wars reference, but..." You're supposed to inquire along the lines of "How do you stop that guy, coach," and "Would you like to score more points in the second half?" Alas, this poor young reporter bucked the trend and baffled Will Muschamp.
From The Gainesville Sun:
"Excuse the Star Wars reference," a young journalist said from the back row, "but you guys kind of have a master versus padawan thing going on with you and Nick (Saban). What's the sentiment in that?"
"What's a padawan?"
"You've never seen Star Wars?"
"Huh? I watched Star Wars One and after that I watched Empire Strikes Back, and that's it. I didn't see nuthin' after that. … And I don't know what a padawan is. You didn't call me a bad name, did ya? … I don't speak French, either."
"You guys have kind of a master versus student thing kind of going on. Is there any sentiment in that? I'm sure you learned a lot from Nick Saban."
"Sure."
And scene! Better luck next time—we'd suggest Smokey and the Bandit analogies.
Bama-Florida game as big as it gets in recruiting [Gainesville Sun]