After playing an uncharacteristic game against Arkansas, the Crimson Tide is using this week to correct its mistakes.
“We’re just emphasizing technique and working on the little things,” said tight end Preston Dial. “We’re going back to two-a-days to better ourselves in hopes of making us tough to beat.”
The players feel they learned a lot from the game against Arkansas that will help them throughout the season.
“The thing that stood out to me is that we showed good character,” linebacker Nico Johnson said. “Coming back from something like that against a good team like Arkansas was overwhelming just because we did what we did.”
The Tide will be looking for its leaders to help the team stay focused with a big opponent coming into Tuscaloosa. Playing mistake-free football will be very important for the Tide as they face the Florida Gators this week.
Preparing for Florida
During the past few days, the team continued its preparation for this week’s game against the Florida Gators. The main focus for the Tide’s defense this week will be to stop Florida’s rushing attack.
“We have to have a good week of practice,” Johnson said. “If we have a good week of practice we should be able to go out and do what we have to do to stop the run. Stopping the run is something we take to heart.”
The Tide has not allowed a 100-yard rusher since 2007.
On the offensive side, the Tide will be looking to counter Florida’s speed on defense.
“They pride themselves on speed,” Dial said. “It’s different from other teams because they play side-to-side real well. They’re speed demons, and they get to the ball well. We just have to play Alabama football. We have a lot of guys on the outside and behind me that have speed as well.”
The Tide and the Gators have had two different types of seasons. Alabama dominated its first three opponents and struggled with the fourth. Florida had troubles with its first three matchups but had a dominating victory against Kentucky in week four.
“They made adjustments,” Dial said. “The important thing about being a great team is adjusting on the run. I was happy to see how much improvement they made in the last game because you want to play good competition.”
