Nick Saban press conference notes, & transcript
Notes:
- Sounds like it's all Jalen Hurts this week. Here's a quote from a question about Jalen: "We're going to support (Hurts) to do everything in this game that he needs to do and if Blake has to play, we're going to support him as well."
- Saban was pleased with the effort and focus in practice this week and gave the impression that there were fewer penalties and mental lapses.
- No decision at RG. They worked Shank at RG, Pierschbacher at both G spots and Lester Cotton at LG this week, still looking for their best combination. Saban said they hadn't made a decision yet.
- Talked about the challenge of preparing for Ole Miss' tempo and their pace, trying to have the scout team match that tempo in practice this week.
- No significant injuries reported.
Transcript:
OPENING STATEMENT
"We've had a better week of practice. Players have been more focused. This is a difficult preparation, trying to get the scout team to do no-huddle for the offense and trying to work out some of the bugs and some of the mistakes that we need to get corrected from a week ago in terms of our ability to execute with any kind of consistency, which this week will be compounded a bit by the fact that we're playing on the road, compounded by the fact that we'll have to deal with noise and also the fact that it's going to take greater focus and concentration to be able to go out there and execute play in and play out.
"This team will be tested by a very good team. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Freeze and the job he's done with his team in terms of the quality of players they have as well as how well they're coached. This is a great opportunity for our team. Great players, great teams, they're respected, they're revered, remembered by what they've accomplished and what they've done. That comes from their commitment to excellence and the standard that they have in terms of everything that they do. This is not something that you can buy, you can't borrow, you can't find it anywhere, it has to come from within you. I think every team has to prove that they have that. This will be a great opportunity for us to see. I believe that we have it, but it comes from within you and we have to try and get it out of our guys.That's what it's going to take in this game on the road against a very good team.
"We don't have any injuries to talk about."
I know you won't know until the game, but have you seen players cleaning up penalties in practice this week?
"That's why we practice. If I didn't see it, I wouldn't be saying we had a better week of practice.
"I heard about Belichick now. Y'all better be on your toes today. Ask some good questions."
What do you attribute Bo Scarbrough's early issues to?
"I don't think he really has any issues. I think you all create an expectation to people that there's no basis for. You do that for a lot of guys. It puts a lot of pressure on them, creates a lot of anxiety for them. What we're trying to do here is get guys to develop and be able to comfortable and develop and gain the knowledge and experience that they need to go out there and play with confidence, play fast. We think Bo has a lot of potential and we're going to keep working with him so he can be a very productive player for us. So I don't think he has any issues. I think he has issues created to the expectation that you created for him. But that's not what we're all about here."
Ole Miss running game this year, what have you seen this year? Any improvement running the ball?
"Well, they're a very good perimeter running team. All of their runs, not all of their runs but most of their runs have some kind of RPO with it which makes it more difficult to defend the run game. A lot of the run plays are read plays that they don't have to physically dominate the line of scrimmage to be able to make them effective plays. I think they do a great job of executing that. I think their offensive line has improved each week and we certainly respect the running backs they have and the quarterback to make the right decisions when it comes to the RPOs in the run game that is attached with that."
For any freshman, the first true SEC road game is a tough start. What have you seen about Jalen that makes you think he can handle that?
"The one thing that I like about Jalen is that he's got a good disposition about playing the next play. He's obviously, we're going through a learning curve with him to get him to be confident and understand and make choices and decisions that are going to be beneficial to him and the offense. It's going to be a work in progress, but the thing that I like about him is that he doesn't get frustrated. He doesn't get all discombobulated. He has a lot of poise. I think he has a lot of inner confidence. He believes that he can do it. It's important to him. He wants to do it. We have to trust that that's going to help him develop and do the kind of things that he needs to do. We're going to support him to do everything in this game that he needs to do and if Blake has to play, we're going to support him as well."
Two questions about the offensive line. First, at the interior position with Ross and Shank, is that still Ross' job?
"Well, last week we played Shank half the game at right guard. We practiced Ross back at left guard, Shank at right guard, Lester Cotton at left guard, and we feel confident in all three of those players. Obviously, Shank and Ross have more experience because they started for a whole season and I think that experience may be beneficial to them in this game, but we have not decided who we're starting at both positions yet."
Cam Robinson had a lot of distractions in the offseason and things he had to do. How has he performed in the first two games?
"I think our two tackles have played very well. I think Cam has played well. He was the player of the week in the first week I think, and Jonah has played very well. I think that we really have to do a better job inside. That's where the inexperience has been. Guys are playing new positions and hopefully it's going to be real important that we can do that in this game."
Nick Saban press conference notes, video, transcript | TideSports.com
