Nick Saban updates Jalen Hurts’ status, shares thoughts on Tua Tagovailoa’s first game in Death Valley
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All eyes this weekend will be in Baton Rouge as the No. 1 team in the nation travels to No. 4 LSU looking to keep its undefeated season alive.
To open the big week of preparation in Tuscaloosa leading up to the trip to LSU, Nick Saban met with the media to preview the matchup with his former school.
Arguably the biggest topic from Tuscaloosa from the team’s bye week was the injury and surgery of backup quarterback Jalen Hurts — the QB suffered his injury against Tennessee. The Tide utilize Hurts frequently in games and missing him in this game could play a factor in the outcome. Keep in mind, he’s the only Alabama quarterback on the roster that has played in Death Valley and has faced Dave Aranda’s defense twice.
Here’s what Saban had to say about Hurts’ status heading into this week.
“It’s day to day, he’s going to start throwing today,” Saban revealed. “These things typically take 7-10 days… I can’t really answer that one right now.”
While the Alabama coach was non-committal regarding Hurts’ status, he did note how important Tua Tagovailoa’s preparation will be heading into what appears to be the toughest road environment of the season for the Tide.
“I think it’s important that players stay focus on what’s happening on the field,” Saban noted. “The atmosphere will be something the QB and the team will have to work on… I think it will be really, really important facing this team in this environment. We’ll find out who we are in terms of how we respond.”
Outside of managing his emotions and his preparation, Saban also complimented LSU’s outstanding defensive backs heading into this contest. Many believe the Tigers have the best defensive backfield in the nation, an assessment Saban may even agree with.
“They are very athletic, they have good size. They mix it up, from man to zone, especially on third down. They do a good job, the mulitiples of third down,” he continued. “Their players do a good job of what they are supposed to do and they are very aggressive when they break on the ball.”
Based on his comments, Alabama’s offense, which ranks No. 1 in every major category in the SEC, may finally be tested by a defense that can match up with it.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
