After a physical weekend in Baton Rouge, Nick Saban said he is glad to be back in Tuscaloosa and preparation for a surging Texas A&M team is going well.
“We’re glad to be back home,” Saban said. “The players have done a good job this week at working hard, and this is a very challenging game for us.”
Saban said the main focus going into Saturday’s matchup has been to keep the players focused on executing their assignments.
“The thing for us is for us to keep executing,” he said. “It is going to be really important that we have the discipline and play a 60-minute game.”
While the Tide offensive line has shone throughout the season, Saban said the Aggie defense is one of the most athletic and physical defenses in the SEC led by defensive end Damontre Moore.
“It kind of speaks for itself,” he said. “You got a guy plays defensive end and can run that way it presents a challenge. Their quickness has been an asset for them as a defensive team and he’s one of the guys that’s the quickest.”
Saban said the team will continue to stress importance on the two-minute drills on Thursdays that played a pivotal role in win against LSU.
“On Thursday I think there is always a situation that with about a minute or 1:20 to go when you got two timeouts and you need a field goal or touchdown,” he said. “So the defensive players are out there trying to win the situation and win the game and the offensive trying to win the game. I think it’s the best ways to practice those kinds of things and it obviously paid off for us.”
Pass protection was key on in the final two minutes of the LSU game and will be critical against a stout A&M front. Junior center Barrett Jones said the blocks against pressure from the LSU defensive line helped prepare the line for this week’s game.
“I think we played really well in that game” he said. “We did a really good job of protecting the passer and it gives us a lot of confidence going into this week.”
Junior quarterback AJ McCarron has battled injuries this year despite remaining upright for most of it, and the Heisman hopeful said he feels great physically and emotionally going into this week’s game.
“I feel great,” he said. “It’s another game and it’s going to be exciting, and I’m ready to get out there and get past that LSU stuff. That win doesn’t really matter if we don’t finish out strong, so we’ve got to take care of business.”
