Mid-morning and afternoon rains forced Alabama football inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility for practice on Wednesday afternoon. Preparations for the team’s matchup against No. 1 LSU on Nov. 9 are expected to begin on Thursday. Here are our observations from a brief media viewing period:

Junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was not spotted during the viewing period, but that does not mean he didn’t appear later in the practice. Earlier in the day coach Nick Saban said on his weekly conference call that Tagovailoa would return to practice on Wednesday.

Junior wide receiver DeVonta Smith looked fine while running with the rest of the group in individual drills. Smith bruised his shoulder during Alabama’s win over Arkansas on Saturday.

Sophomore linebacker Ale Kaho was again wearing a black, non-contact jersey and a cast on his left hand.

Senior safety Jared Mayden was limited during individual drills for the second straight day. Coach Nick Saban said on Saturday that Mayden, who did not play against Arkansas, was dealing with a groin injury.

The running backs began the viewing period working on weaving between a series of poles and quickly pivoting between them. Juniors Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. led the group. After that, they moved on to running simple routes out of the backfield and catching short passes.