Video: Saban Has Tide on Alert for Resurgent MSU

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WCBI/UA Athletics) – The University of Alabama football team returned to practice for an hour and 15 minutes of work in shells on Monday afternoon at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.

The Crimson Tide focused on fundamentals and correcting mistakes following Saturday’s 10-0 win over then-No. 13 LSU. Next on the schedule for the Tide is a matchup in Tuscaloosa with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The divisional showdown is scheduled for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff on ESPN. Joe Tessitore and Todd Blackledge will call the game from the booth with Holly Rowe on the sidelines.

The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s game with a 4-5 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in SEC play following a 35-28 victory over then-No. 4 Texas A&M on Nov. 5. Mississippi State is led by eighth year head coach Dan Mullen, who has a career record of 59-40 in Starkville, including a 28-33 mark in SEC play.

The Crimson Tide holds the all-time series advantage, 78-18-3, and has won the last eight matchups between the two squads. Alabama has also won the last four meetings in Tuscaloosa, outscoring the Bulldogs 125-44 over that span. Most recently, the Tide came away with a 31-6 victory in Starkville last season.

Nick Saban met with the media on Monday afternoon. Following is his opening statement:

“Well, I don’t really have any different comments than I had after the game. Obviously, the last game was very physical and tough. If you like old-fashion football that is what it was. We obviously have a lot of work to do in some areas of our team, and I think the biggest thing is you can’t have any kind of relief syndrome after a big emotional game, especially when you have a really good team coming up and a new challenge that we all need to respond to. It is really great that the defense got recognized as national player of the week, and we did the same thing with them internally in Keaton Anderson and JK Scott on special teams and Ryan Anderson on defense by the SEC.

“We are excited to be back home and playing this game here at Bryant-Denny Stadium. I think it’s always a challenge for us to respond in the right way. It’s a different kind of team, they have played better and better each and every week, but they are probably playing their best football of the season right now. It’s pretty obvious with their win over Texas A&M how good they are playing right now. Their quarterback has played really well for them all year. He’s kind of the center of what they do in terms of how much he runs the ball and his effectiveness as a runner, as well as being a very effective passer. Fred Ross is a very good receiver and an outside threat that can create explosive plays for them. They have been able to run the ball effectively. Defensively, they create a lot of issues and problems in terms of negative plays and how aggressive they are. They are very well-coached; Dan (Mullen) has done a great job there for a lot of years. We have always had some difficult games and that will be our expectation for this game.”