ADVERTISEMENT

Football 🏈 Everything Nick Saban during his Wednesday press conference

Alabama head coach Nick Saban met with the media for the final time before Saturday's game against LSU. Here are the highlights from his Wednesday press conference. The press conference is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., updates will appear shortly.

— Nick Saban opens with a question: "I think the thing that we're trying to focus on is how do you maintain your intensity?"

— Saban said it isn't fair to judge what the offense has been able to do because he notes "they have played a bit left-handed with Bryce Young being out."

— Saban: "Bryce Young hasn't been able to practice for about three weeks (since Arkansas game), but he's played well since then."

— Saban noted that the response from the team has been what he's been looking for out of the bye week, but he noted he'll have to see how the team plays against LSU.

"It's been very good. The response from the players has been very good. We've practiced well all three days this week. We'll see how we play."

— Saban on Ja'Corey Brooks: "The guy is a real competitor. He plays well for us on special teams. I don't care what you ask him to do, what role he plays or on whatever team he's on, he does it fast, he does it hard and he prepares well. He's attaching himself to the right things and I think that has sort of shown in his production and his performance."

Football 🏈 Florida 2025 four-star QB Colin Hurley covers SEC recruiting interests

Hurley covers interest in Alabama, Florida, and LSU ahead of his visit to Baton Rouge this weekend.

  • Like
Reactions: lainey2020

Nick Saban reveals what led to Eli Ricks' breakout game for Alabama

Nick Saban: “We always thought he could be a really good player... Hopefully, he’ll be able to build on that and stay focused on the things that he needs to do to execute well at his position.”

Football 🏈 What Brian Kelly, Nick Saban said about the Alabama-LSU matchup

Alabama head coach Nick Saban and LSU head coach Brian Kelly spoke about this week's game during Wednesday's SEC Teleconference. Here's what Kelly said this morning:

Highlights from Nick Saban

— Saban: "Focus has been good on our team's side. Just got to attach ourselves to the right things so we give ourselves the best chance to play well."

— Saban says LSU is really well-coached and is playing as well as anyone at this point in the season. He said Jayden Daniels is as good of a quarterback when it comes to passing and running as anyone Alabama will face.

— Saban spoke to Brian Kelly before he took the LSU job. Saban told Kelly he always thought LSU was a special place and that it was a good job.

— Saban on how Jayden Daniels has improved this season: Much more comfortable in the system and that's enhanced his ability to play better, not that I thought he was playing poorly.

— Saban on Eli Ricks: "Eli just had to go through a lot of transition this year in terms of what he had learned before and trying to learn our system and getting confident in it. We always thought he could be a really good player. I thought he played well in the last game, and hopefully he'll be able to build on that and stay focused on the things that he needs to do to execute well at his position."

— Saban on Alabama's offensive line: "I think the bye week has done them well. I think we've been able to improve pretty significantly this week."


Highlights from Brian Kelly

Opening Statement...


"We were off last week, certainly preparing for an outstanding football team in Alabama. Our guys are certainly prepared for the very best, we're going up against a Heisman Trophy winner and a consistent, elite football team that Coach Saban puts out there each and every week. We know the challenge in front of us, but it's an exciting opportunity for our football team to play at Tiger Stadium on national television. We welcome the challenge and we know it's going to be a great one, but these are the games you look forward to playing at LSU and that's why these kids come here. Again our preparation will be the key here as we continue to go through the week. We will have to play our very best and our players will have to be at their very best against a great opponent."

On defending Bryce Young...

"There's no good answer and if there is a good one, I'd certainly be voicing it. He is in many instances, you can't defend him because he is so elusive and he wants to throw the football. I mean he can take off so many times, but he's trying to find receivers down the field. He has great awareness and sense, he's a true quarterback. He's not a scramble-around guy that's just throwing it up there. He's very intentional about everything he does and he's not taking sacks. He's the Heisman Trophy winner, and he should be, he's the best player in college football."

Tua vs Trevor

I have been saying for years publicly - I'm sure several times on this site - that I thought Tua was going to be a better NFL QB than Trevor Lawrence. Well the jury ain't in yet, but ... that prediction doesn't look too dumb right now, and man am I digging this season.

Trevor is big, fast and pretty with a relatively strong arm, but his accuracy is mid, his pocket presence is not great, and he doesn't throw guys open. Playing at Clemson where his team was orders of magnitude than every regular-season opponent he put up very good stats but never among the best. I always thought of him as a competitor, so I can't say I ever predicted that he would become a renowned choke artist, but he's really having that kind of year.

And Tua: Tua is the best I've ever seen at combining accuracy, quick release and finding a hole to drop that accurate ball into. Snake was pretty good at all that, but Tua is better. And unlike Snake, he's got work ethic and leadership quality through the roof.

He got a slow start in the NFL, but if you ever mentioned that his rookie season he was coming off a catastrophic injury and had zero pre-season because of Covid and played with the worst OL in the NFL both his first two years then you got run out of town for making "excuses." And somehow most people just didn't notice that he actually played quite well in '21 if you take his wretched supporting cast into account.

And then ... and then he got a coach that believed him and he got some power injected into the O and suddenly had maybe a top 5, easily top 10 supporting cast instead of a terrible one, and suddenly he's wheeling and dealing at the helm of the NFL's most explosive offense (and by the way one that pretty much tanked when he had to miss some time). He's clearly one of the best QBs in the NFL right now and I think that today you would get some pretty good odds if you walked into a Vegas sports book betting parlor right now that let you bet on Trevor vs Tua for career passing yardage.

Miami has to be seen as a Super Bowl contender after picking up Chubb today. IF Tua stays healthy. That's the only question mark he has left. The rest are gone.

Quick question for everyone

I’m one of the few Ga fans who enjoys talking with everyone on this board. Not gonna hurt my feelings want your honest opinions.

can Ga beat Tenn? You guys played them. No one in media gives a chance in hell. They are better than “2019 lsu evidently”. Kirk and Fowler said their defense is really awesome.

so who wins? Thanks in advance

Go beat LSU ass Sat
ADVERTISEMENT

Filter

ADVERTISEMENT