Despite losing to Auburn last year and finishing second in the SEC West, Alabama still went on to win the national championship.

Still, Crimson Tide players probably have revenge in mind when they take on the Tigers this weekend.

Alabama coach Nick Saban tackled that subject during his Monday press conference previewing his team’s rivalry game at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Saban was asked how he handles the desire to get redemption and how a shot at revenge could potentially motivate his players.

“I think the players all know what happened last year,” Saban said. “I think they don’t feel great about it. They didn’t feel good about it last year. They’ve had to live with it for 365 days. I don’t necessarily think that the revenge factor is the best form of motivation out there, but I certainly think it can play into a guy who’s a good competitor and wants to come back and play well if he didn’t play well the last time.

“I do feel like there are a lot of other things that are factors this year that this team can accomplish. … I think everybody understands the importance of what happens last year and what we can accomplish.”

Specifically, No. 1 Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC) can finish the regular season undefeated with a win Saturday. The Crimson Tide, however, was in the same position last year before a red-hot Auburn team took down Saban’s squad for a 26-14 win on The Plains.

Against the Tigers (7-4, 3-4) this year, Alabama should be mostly healthy. Saban said senior running back Damien Harris is making “good progress” in concussion protocol, while sophomore offensive lineman Deonte Brown and junior defensive back Deionte Thompson will practice Monday.

Sophomore offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood will sit out practice with a minor ankle injury, though Saban expects him to return sometime this week.

Below are a few more relevant topics Saban touched on during his press conference.

On his team growing from a slow start against The Citadel last week:

  • “I don’t think there’s any question about that. When I said there are lessons to be learned from that, that’s what I am alluding to, in terms of whatever your narrative is, personally as a player or collectively as a team in who you think you are. The lesson to be learned is we’re playing a team that — not to disrespect anyone — is not as talented as we are, but 35 minutes into the game if they don’t miss a field goal we’re down 13-10. I think there lessons about competition, playing a high level … sense of urgency, discipline, all the things I think it takes to perform at a high level.”

On Alabama’s kicking situation:

  • “We’ve had some issues in that regard, no doubt. I think at times, we’ve got to improve in all areas: snap, hold, consistency in kick. To me, being a kicker is a lot like playing golf. You technically have to be able to count on three or four benchmarks of things that are going to help you be consistent in what you do and minimize bad contact. We have not gotten Joe (Bulovas) to where we’re comfortable and he’s comfortable with that. We’ll keep working on that. It’s not acceptable, to be honest with you, from anyone’s standpoint. His standpoint, our standpoint. We’ll work hard to get it fixed. If we feel like there’s someone on our team that can help us do better, then we’ll have the possibility for that, whether it’s snapper, holder or kicker.

On making sure his team isn’t too hyped up:

  • “Most of the time, when our players are ready to play, they play better. If I had a meter that I could stick on somebody’s hip and figrue out what that meant, we’d try to get that meter on the right spot for every player on our team. I think it’s not just about the emotion when the game comes, it’s about what you want to accomplish, what’s important you. … Hopefully we have the intensity to be able to do that this week. It’s a big game for our players, for our team and for our fans. I hope we get to the right place. But without the meter, I’m not sure I can get there on every player. But I’ll make sure we do the best we can.”