5 things Nick Saban said during his Wednesday evening press conference
By Keith Farner
Published:
Alabama coach Nick Saban held his final press conference Wednesday evening before the LSU game on Saturday, and offered a host of updates about his team and the Tigers.
Saban said QB Tua Tagovailoa has been “able to practice some” and his status remains undetermined.
“We don’t know what kind of setbacks he’s gonna have and how he’s continued to progress,” he said, according to Mike Rodak of AL.com. Saban said coming back from the injury last year helps him be more positive about his recovery this time.
Put simply, Saban said, “I’m not gonna play the guy if he can’t move.”
Saban believes getting Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis on the field at the same time more often has made the defense play better in recent weeks, Brett Hudson reported.
Asked about LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Saban said he has great quickness and change of direction.
“He’s got a low center of gravity and he’s kind of power built,” Saban said. “So he can run behind his pads. Really good route runner and really good receiver. So he makes a lot of people miss, he can also run with power. He has really good hands, he’s very instinctive. So guy’s been an outstanding player for them, very, very productive.”
Saban also said that K Joseph Bulovas is more confident, more consistent from last season and “feels more comfortable in his own skin.”
“He’s learned to not be quite as anxious about things,” Saban said. “I think when he gets anxious, he gets in a hurry, when he gets in a hurry, he probably doesn’t have the same consistency.”
LSU DB Derek Stingley Jr. was described by Saban as one of the best cornerbacks in the country in recruiting and “certainly hasn’t disappointed.”
“He’s a fantastic player, really good cover skills,” Saban said. “Good ball skills. He’s a good tackler. Plays with toughness, plays the ball on the deep part of the field really well. This guy, you’d never know that he was a freshman, I can tell you that.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
