No. 1 Alabama is coming off of a 56-14 blowout win over Louisiana on Saturday, and now, the Crimson Tide will get their third SEC opponent of the season in Arkansas.
The Razorbacks have had arguably the worst season so far of any SEC team, and will be looking to pull off a miracle win that would make all of their previous losses forgivable.
Coach Nick Saban is used to having a target on his back however, and he knows not to overlook any team he faces.
On Wednesday, Saban joined the SEC Coaches Teleconference to preview Arkansas.
Here’s what he said:
On LSU-Georgia in 2003:
- That was a tough game, they had a really good team, went down to the wire. Corey Webster made a great INT that took them out of their two-minute drill… they win gave us a chance to win the SEC that year.
What did that win do for your program?
- I think we had won the SEC in 2001, so we are going good but that was the year we won the national championship and that gave us momentum moving forward.
On John Chavis and the job he’s done:
- He’s done an outstanding job… they did very well against Texas A&M last week… he gives you issues, the players play for him and they look like a completely different team than they did early in the season and I think that’s a credit to him.
How has he been about to do that?
- You have good player and you try to get them to play to their highest potential… play up to a standard but that’s always a challenge and that’s something we do on a daily basis.
On Arkansas offense and Ty Storey:
- This is one of the most improved teams from the start of the season… Ty has done a good job, he’s making positive plays as a passer and he can run… he’s done well executing that offense and he has good players around him and they did a nice job against A&M, which we think have a good defense.
Jonah Williams update:
- Yeah, he’s going to practice today and we think he’ll be able to play in the game but that is a bit of a question mark.
How impressed are you with Jonah?
- He has played as well as anyone at that position… can’t rate him against the rest of the nation… but he’s continued to improve and is playing at a very high level.
How hard is it to fight complacency with so many big wins?
- I think it’s the most important thing you can have, getting the message from the peers not just coaches… it’s important for the leadership to buy into the message… if you have a good leader in each group, that’s very beneficial.
On Dan Enos and the job he’s doing this season:
- Dan has done a really good job with our guys, the biggest thing is the preparation. Whatever the play is, whatever the call, the QBs have an expectation… getting the ball to the right place at the right time… that comes through teaching and preparation.
What impressed you about him before he came to Bama?
- I knew him since his college playing days, I’ve been following him since then… We were always challenged by what he did at Arkansas, I always thought his unit was well coached.
Jordan Dajani covers SEC football for Saturday Down South and is a University of Tennessee graduate. He also has experience working in the NBA and with ESPN.
