There definitely wasn’t rain Tuesday afternoon during the Crimson Tide’s football practice as it prepared for its game against Arkansas on Saturday.

It was hot and sunny, basically the opposite of the weather it faced against Georgia this previous weekend.This is nothing new to Alabama, however. It’s practically the same weather it faced all preseason. Except, it’s not preseason. It’s almost midseason and Alabama is 4-1.

PRACTICE NOTES:

• Reaction time is key for the defensive line. It needs to be set and ready to pounce. Therefore, on Tuesday, Alabama’s defensive line repeatedly went through a drill that required quick reactions to the snap.
• Instead of receiving passes, the tight ends, such as O.J. Howard, TY Flournoy-Smith and Michael Nysewander, worked on their blocking.
• The running backs practiced a little bit of everything. Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake were seen doing a drill that required hopping on one foot through the ropes then exploding at the end. The other running backs participated in this as well.
• The running backs worked on blocking for a little before they moved to join the offensive and defensive lines to work on finding creases while running the ball.
• Coach Nick Saban was working with defensive backs such as Eddie Jackson on the far side of the field.
• The quarterbacks, including Jake Coker and Cooper Bateman, worked with the wide receivers the entire viewing period. Wide receivers included Daylon Charlot, Cam Sims, ArDarius Stewart and – wait for it – Drake.