TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama survived back-to-back conference road trips to Mississippi State and Texas A&M and now sits alone atop the SEC West division. Next up for the Crimson Tide, is a a homecoming matchup against Arkansas on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
During his Monday press conference, Nick Saban spoke about his team building off its recent momentum while correcting its many lingering errors. Here’s a transcript of what the head coach said as well as my takes on his comments.
Opening statement
“I think the biggest thing that we want to focus on is to build on the positives of the good things that our team did in the last game. You know, competitive spirit. Did a lot of good things in terms of being able to pass the ball effectively in the game, make some explosive plays. The defense did a pretty good job for the most part.
“Obviously there's things that we need to work on and we want to be positive about how we fix those things in the future so that we can continue to progress as a team.
“Arkansas is really a good team. They've had some really tough games, some really close losses. But they've scored a lot of points. KJ Jefferson is a really good, bigtime quarterback. Big guy. Hard to sack. Can run. Very talented arm. Sam does a great job with these guys in terms of their ability to run the ball, whether it's quarterback runs or whatever. They play very aggressively and very well on defense. They've got good specialists. A really good kicker. They've got a good running back. I mean, this is a good team. I don't think we should be looking at their record and making any kind of judgments on what they're capable of, because they're capable of scoring points and they're capable of playing really good defense. And they're a very well coached team.
Tony’s takes: This could be a bit of a trap game for Alabama. Arkansas has lost its last four games, but those defeats were by a combined 29 points, including three one-score games.
Coming off of back-to-back road games, it will be easy for Alabama to let its foot off the gas inside Bryant-Denny Stadium this weekend – especially with an 11 a.m. kick. Depending on how the team looks in practice this week, Saban’s Wednesday press conference could get animated.
On what he’s seen from the growth of the defense
“The defensive players have played hard. They've been a really solid group from an attitude standpoint. They practice well. They try to prepare well. And they've played well together and they've done a good job of minimizing mental errors. We didn't have a lot of mental errors in the last game. I mean, Terrion got kind of thrown into a bad spot with minimal reps when Malachi went down. But other than that, the guys have been doing a really good job of preparing and minimizing mistakes. And hopefully we'll be able to continue to do that.”
Tony’s takes: This is the second time Saban has unpromptedly praised Terrion Arnold for stepping in for injured Malachi Moore at STAR over the weekend. Arnold’s ability to make that switch is a good example of how versatile this unit is as well as how well its players know the system.
On his evaluation of Tommy Rees, Kevin Steele
“I’m not going to publicly comment. We’re happy with the coaches that we have, and we’re always trying to get better. We’re all working hard together to try to get better, trying to figure out what’s the best solution to help our team grow and develop, whether it’s style of play, doing more things that they’re capable of doing, trying to minimize the negative plays. I’m pleased with the effort that everyone is giving in trying to give input to fix those things. Everybody’s responsible for a better way. So if we have deficiencies as a team, that’s kind of on me.”
Tony’s takes: Sometimes you say more by saying nothing at all. If Saban was happy with both of his coordinators, I don’t think he would have given a response like this.
On Alabama already matching its 2022 interception total
"I think we've done a good job of pressuring the quarterback. I think the pass rush has been good even when we only have four guys rushing. I think that has affected the quarterback to some degree. I do think our guys all have good ball skills. They all play the ball well in the air and I think we play the ball with more confidence. So that's something that we like to see in all the defensive backs that we have. Hopefully, we will be able to continue to get turnovers because that's going to be huge for us, in terms of being successful in the future, is having a successful turnover margin."
Tony’s takes: Alabama’s national title hopes will likely come down to how well the offense progresses from here on out. However, the Tide already has a championship-caliber defense.
Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry have been one of the top cornerback pairings in the conference. With the recent emergence of five-star true freshman safety Caleb Downs, there aren’t many safe spots of the field for opposing quarterbacks to throw to these days.
To make matters worse for Alabama’s opponents, the Tide also has the SEC sacks leader in Dallas Turner, who ranks tied for third nationally with 6.5 takedowns over six games.
On Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos
"Not a whole lot. They have a really good system, really good scheme. I think they do a good job of utilizing the players that they have. The quarterback runs are always something that adds another layer of focus is that you have to be concerned about on defense which they're really, really good at. They hit great play-action passes, they can throw the ball downfield and make explosive plays. There's not a whole lot of difference between what they've done in the past and what they're doing now. Some little thing but they've been very productive on offense. We're gonna have to play very, very well."
Tony’s takes: Saban will be up against another familiar face in first-year Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos, who served as Alabama’s quarterbacks coach in 2018.
Enos isn’t necessarily off to a great start with the Razorbacks, as they rank No. 112 nationally in total offense (332.8 yards per game), and tied for No. 53 in scoring offense (31.3 points per game)
On Deontae Lawson
"He's played really really well. We really miss him when he's not out there, missed a game. His leadership is great. He, I think helps everybody with his playcalling and his performance has been very good. He's a conscientious guy. A good athlete and has the ability to make plays but he's putting himself in the right place to do it because he's so conscientious as a player."
Tony’s takes: What more is there to say about the way Deontae Lawson has played this season? Through five games, the redshirt sophomore has recorded 31 stops, including 3.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks, to go with a pair of quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s missed on only one tackle, registering an 87.5 tackling grade on the year.
On if the difficulties running against Texas A&M were more about what they did or what Alabama did
"I think it was a combination of both. I think that we miss ID'd some plays in terms of who we were blocking and where we're going to. I think we missed some things on some of their stunts and pressures. They're front seven is really good. We had some other plays that if we finished blocks we would have much more productive plays. So we got to do a better job of finishing. We also knew going into the game it was going to be tough-sledding up front. We were gonna have to be able to throw the ball effectively. I was really pleased with that part of it. We still gotta work on protections and how we protect the quarterback."
Tony’s takes: Anytime Alabama has more rushing attempts than rushing yards, something is very wrong. Texas A&M might have one of the nation’s most talented defensive lines, but Alabama will need more from its running game if it wants to have success against other great defenses moving forward.
On Jaeden Roberts
"I love to see guys like him who have worked hard for two whole years and in his third year gets an opportunity, especially in his home state, to go out and play. A guy has a good physical presence. He played hard in the game. It's really tough when you have a guy that practiced all week and he's not able to play in the game and the next guy's gotta go in. He didn't have the same opportunities to prepare. I thought Jaeden did a pretty good job of managing it and handling it. Played with a lot of grit, determination and toughness and executed fairly well."
Tony’s takes: Houston native Jaeden Roberts made his first career start for Alabama over the weekend, filling at right guard while Darrian Dalcourt was dealing with a shoulder problem.
According to PFF, Roberts earned a 54.2 run-blocking grade and a 76.0 pass-blocking mark against the Aggies. He’ll want to improve on that, but it wasn’t a bad performance for someone making their first start in a hostile environment.
On Milroe growing every day
"Absolutely, and I think the big thing that we've tried to continue to get him to understand is you gotta keep playing the next play. There's not always going to be perfect plays but whatever happened on the last play is a learning experience for you to grow and get better and focus on what you have to do the next play. You cannot allow one play to affect the next play. That's something I think he's learned and doing a lot better. But he's staying much more positive on the sidelines, communicating really well his teammates and the coaches in terms of what he saw and what he didn't see and what he needs to do to get it corrected. That's something that comes a little bit with experience but I think it also comes with awareness. I think we're making progress in both areas."
Tony’s takes: Saban praised Jalen Milroe for his resiliency after the game and continued to do so here. The redshirt sophomore’s passing game is still a work in progress, but he has responded well to his mistakes in recent weeks.
Following his interception against Texas A&M, Milroe closed out the game by completing eight of his final 13 passes for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
On Jermaine Burton
“Jermaine has got great ability. We want to keep him focused on doing the things he needs to do to be consistent in his performance. Fundamentally, just keep working on things like he runs good routes, he’s got great ability, he's got really good hands, ball security—things like that. Not getting too emotional in the game where you make bad choices and decisions. Some of those things are just things that we continue to work on. We're really excited about the game that he had, his performance, what we can build on with that. I think he’s learned that you really don’t want to do anything to help the other team. And he's done a lot to hurt the other team, so let's don't do anything to help people.”
Tony’s takes: Jermaine Burton showed what he is capable of against Texas A&M, pulling in nine receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Now the trick is replicating that performance on a week-to-week basis.
Burton has been hit-or-miss so far this season. If he can harness the consistency he showed against Texas A&M, he can be go-to target Alabama’s offense has been crying out for.
On Caleb Downs handling the pressure of being DB in SEC
“Well, I don’t know that pressure is something that goes with being a DB, or at any position really. It’s a matter of Caleb has played really well for us. He’s very mature. The guy really pays attention to detail and does a really good job in preparation. Wants to know what he's supposed to do. How he's supposed to do it. Why it's important to do it that way. He's got great football instincts and savvy, so he kind of understands what the other team’s trying to do, which I think is important as well. So he’s done a good job of that.
“I don’t want any of our players to feel like they have pressure to play at their position. I think when you prepare well, and you're confident, and you have poise, and you're focused on execution, that that shouldn't be an issue. It should be positive energy and attitude to go forward in those three things to be successful.”
Tony’s takes: Caleb Downs is still listed as a freshman, but at this point, the first-year safety has already started to look like a seasoned vet. Downs has interceptions in each of his last two games and is beginning to play up to his five-star hype. He should only keep getting better now that he has found his footing at the college level.
On if there is a positive way to correct penalties
“Well, we had nine pre-snap penalties in the game, and I think a lot of those were created by the fact that we had trouble clapping in the game because of the noise. So we went on silent, and when we went on silent, the guard taps the center. And as soon as the guard tapped the center, they’d stem and move the front— which is not illegal. It was perfectly a good thing for them to do on their part. And we had numerous times where guys flinched. Because, when you go on silent, there is no snap count.
“One of the advantages of playing offense is you know what the snap count is. So you know when you get off the ball. Well, when it’s so noisy and you have to go on silent, you lose that advantage. And if we're going to do that in the future, we obviously need to practice it more so our players don't get spooked by a moving defense because everybody’s got to sort of go on the ball.
“So we had 14 penalties in the game. Nine of them were pre-snap, false start penalties. So, are they correctable? Absolutely. How much was created by the atmosphere and environment and our choice to try to go on silent. That became a little bit of a problem for us in the game.
Tony’s takes: According to sources on the team, Rees isn’t a fan of using a silent count on offense, and the Tide didn’t even begin working out of it until Thursday last week.
As Saban pointed out, there are difficulties that come with going silent. However, as we’ve seen several other times this season, problems can also arise when the center and quarterback can’t hear each other in loud environments.
The current feeling coming out of the program is that the team is leaning away from the silent count moving forward. Fortunately for Alabama, it has three straight home games and to figure things out.
