“I think the most important thing to do at this time of the year, is everybody stay focused on what they’ve got to do,” he said. “Focus is like momentum. When you lose momentum in a game, it is really hard to get back. If you don’t stay focused on what you need to do to get better – it is not about the other team, it is about what we need to do as a team.”
After the Crimson Tide plays Western Carolina, it will close out its regular season with a home matchup against in-state rival Auburn. The Tigers are reeling after dropping two games in a row the past two weekends to Texas A&M and Georgia, respectively. The losses have knocked them out of a potential playoff spot, but they still have a chance to ruin Alabama’s season with a win.
“The major thing for me is stay focused on what you need to do to improve,” Saban said. “So, you take advantage of the opportunity, and that is for every player.”
Even though Saban gave the team an off day from practice on Monday, the players are still taking their next opponent seriously.
“I think he just wants to make sure that we aren’t overlooking these guys,” safety Nick Perry said. “They are our next opponent. So far this, you can tell, any team can get beat by any team, so we definitely want to go out there and put our best game out and don’t overlook them.”
Saban also gave updates on the status of three injured players. He said running back T.J. Yeldon, wide receiver DeAndrew White and kicker Adam Griffith were “day-to-day” with injuries.
“Not that they have anything new,” he said. “It is just that we are trying to evaluate and make sure that we can get these guys closer to 100 percent.”
The coach also gave an update on running back, Altee Tenpenny, who did not dress for Saturday’s game.
“He was late for the meeting [Saturday], and he was told to pick his stuff up and we’d talk to him later,” Saban said. “If it’s not important enough for him to be at the meeting, not important enough for me to dress him for the game.”
