Nick Saban was among the first coaches to speak during the SEC’s weekly media teleconference Wednesday. During his segment of the call, Saban was asked about the status of defensive lineman Raekwon Davis after he was shot in the leg, the status of Da’Shawn Hand and gave his thoughts on the biggest game of the weekend between the Crimson Tide and the Seminoles. 

The Alabama-Florida State game kicks off Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. 

Here are the highlights from Saban’s call:

  • First thing, our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
  • This is a great opportunity for us to play an outstanding Florida State team.
  • You find out a lot about your team the first game, you have to prepare yourself well. It’s about execution and taking care of the ball.
  • Any concern with playing in a new arena? We will go over there on Friday, which we usually don’t do, we did the same for AT&T Stadium when we played there. Mature competitors that have been there before handle these things better than young players. Hopefully, our veteran players will set the tone.
  • Why so many non-offensive TDs Alabama has scored recently: We have had a lot of guys with great ball skills, it was a joint effort. Our players bought into that and that’s something we will emphasize again this year.
  • Da’Shawn Hand status: He’s done everything we’ve asked of him, he’s always been a model student and person in our program. Hopefully, he sets the example moving forward to our young players on what he should be doing.
  • Raekwon Davis: He’s day-to-day, he’s not 100% yet. That will be a medical decision.
  • Najee Harris: He’s done an outstanding job here through spring and fall camp. He will have an opportunity to play in this game. We are very excited that he’s here.