With LSU ahead, Alabama QB Jalen Hurts says bye week made him ‘a little hungry’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Jalen Hurts spent the bye week watching other college football games as he and his Alabama teammates looked to rest and heal up for the stretch run.
“It felt a little weird, kind of maybe a little hungry and kind of, in a way motivational to get back to another week of work and get ready to go,” he said.
This week, the Crimson Tide quarterback and his teammates will play host to LSU in a game set for 7 p.m. local time on CBS. Hurts recalled last year’s game when Alabama used 10 fourth-quarter points to win 10-0. Undefeated Alabama is ranked No. 1 in this week’s AP poll.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Hurts said Monday in a meeting with reporters. “LSU played good defense, had us in handcuffs for a while. The biggest thing with this game is you’ve just got to prepare. It comes down to execution.”
Asked about late-game situations, Hurts said players must be ready to react.
“We want to put ourselves in the best situation we can be in as far as when it’s crunch time, we can make that play and we’ve just got to continue to put the work we’re putting in and working hard so when crunch time comes we’re ready to go,” he said.
Hurts was asked about helping younger teammates prepare for the physical nature an LSU game typically brings.
“Playing in the SEC prepares you for it,” he said. “We play against teams like Tennessee, Arkansas, even Florida State early on. You play against those physical teams, I think that experience helps us later on.”
The Alabama quarterback also shared that he’s kept up with the Houston Astros run in the playoffs, and watched Sunday’s home run-rilled 13-12 victory in Game 5 of the World Series. Hurts said it was good to see the Houston Texas and Astros “put the city on its back” following the damage around the city from Hurricane Harvey.
“Early, I was looking at a Nolan Ryan jersey, should I order it, I’ve already got a hat,” said Hurts, who hails from Channelview, Texas, which is near Houston. “I need a jersey now.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
