Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide went to Texas in Week 2 and narrowly escaped with a 20-19 win over the Longhorns.

Many fans and analysts noted that CB Eli Ricks, the star transfer from LSU, didn’t appear in the Week 2 matchup at all. He’s dealt with a back issue during fall camp, but that didn’t seem to be the reason for his absence on Saturday.

When asked about Ricks’ comfort level on Monday, Saban seemed to indicate that there were some issues with Ricks’ level of play at practice (via Sports Illustrated):

“Well, I think that we got a lot by how players practice and if players have a good week of practice, then I think they’re ready to play and they’ll go out there and be able to do their job,” Saban said. “And I think the other players that they play with also gain confidence in them, knowing what they’re supposed to do in terms of how focused they are and practicing in getting a game plan right and all that. We just want to continue to do a good job with him and all the other players that we have on our team to get them ready to play so that they’re confident and we’re confident that they go into the game that they’re going to create value for themselves.”

Ricks didn’t play a single snap against the Longhorns. Will that change this coming weekend against Louisiana-Monroe? We’ll find out on Saturday afternoon.