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Alabama won at Texas on Saturday, 20-19, but the Crimson Tide came out of the game with plenty of doubters.
Nick Saban’s team dropped to No. 3 in the AP poll this week, and some analysts are questioning just how good this Alabama team will be in 2022.
Typically, doubting Saban and the Crimson Tide doesn’t work out well for those who do so, and it will be interesting to see how Alabama plays on Saturday against an overmatched Louisiana-Monroe squad.
During the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday, Saban was asked about what his team can do to improve upon its performance against the Longhorns.
“I would say that we need to play smarter, play sounder, be more accountable to doing things the right way at every position,” he said. “… Fundamentally doing it correctly and staying focused on that is the best way to have success. I would say that’s true of every position on our team.”
One specific area in which Saban would like to see more productivity and improved depth is the defensive line.
“I think it’s important because those guys, especially in this day and age in football with more passing than we’ve had in the past, plays are longer for them. … Big guys, when they get tired, they’re done. … To be able to rotate players, regardless of circumstances, at that position, is really critical.” said Saban of his defensive line.
The Crimson Tide and Warhawks meet in Tuscaloosa on Saturday at 4 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised by the SEC Network and Alabama is a 49-point favorite.
"Chris Wallace covers college football for Saturday Down South. He has covered college athletics for multiple newspapers and also worked previously for Rivals.com and GolfChannel.com."
