Saban expects larger challenge at Mississippi St

Alex Scarborough, ESPN Personnel WriterSep 25, 2023, 03:55 PM ET

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• Covers the SEC.Joined ESPN
• in 2012.
• Graduate of Auburn University.Alabama coach Nick Saban stated Monday that going on the roadway to Mississippi State this Saturday could be a harder test than the group’s previous two games.The Crimson Tide won a closer-than-expected contest, 17-3

  , on the roadway at USF 2 weeks back, a game in which the offense struggled.Last Saturday, Alabama hosted then-No. 15 Ole Miss, pulling

  away in the second half to win 24-10. However unranked Mississippi State( 2-2, 0-2)offers Saban pause.Editor’s Picks 2 Related”This is actually a larger difficulty for us than the last two games, in my

  viewpoint, in terms of this team being very physical, really aggressive on defense, “he stated.”Develop a great deal of unfavorable plays. They have a great deal of starters back. They understand their system, they understand their scheme. “Among those starters who came back is quarterback Will Rogers, who is second

  in the SEC in career passing yards.Rogers has thrown for 979 lawns and 9 goals this season.”Certainly the quarterback has been an exceptional player for a long time,”Saban said, “but with the new offense that they run, there’s a lot more balance to it.” First-year offending organizer Kevin Barbay has actually featured several running backs this season, including leading rush Jo’Quavious

  Marks, who has 352 backyards and four goals on the ground.Saban also singled out leading receiver Lideatrick Griffin, who has 3 goals this season”This is a total actually, really good team,”Saban said.

  “And it’s going to be a real obstacle for us using the road in the SEC. … This is something that our players actually need to focus on and do an excellent task in preparation.”Saban stated Alabama must get rid of the sort of errors that have led to stalled drives and touchdowns that have been called back because of penalties.On Monday, Saban likewise was asked about Mike Leach, the previous Mississippi State coach who passed away in December from heart complications. Leach was 158-107 in his 21 seasons as a head coach at Mississippi State, Washington State and Texas Tech Leach helped leader the Air Raid offense and was among the most fascinating personalities in college football, unafraid to speak on any topic. “I liked Mike Leach,”Saban said. “He was different, however in an excellent way. He had a terrific funny bone. Obviously provided an offending system and scheme that was unique and extremely tough, but he believed in it and did it his method.”