As he battled the smiles from his birthday with the frowns of media pundits hounding him about Alabama’s spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings for this season, head coach Nick Saban took the podium on Wednesday to provide final updates on two players.
Running back Josh Jacobs (ankle) and defensive end Da’Shawn Hand (knee) practiced all week, and despite the progress of both, Saban is only certain on one really suiting up on Saturday.
“Josh Jacobs is fine,” Saban said. “He will play, no problem.”
As for Hand, he’s missed the last three games after sustaining an injury to his left knee versus Mississippi at home. He was medically cleared to practice, but it will be a game-time decision for him.
“He’s gotten reps, but we won’t know if he’ll play until pre-game,” Saban said of Hand.
Should the senior and former five-star not play, Isaiah Buggs and Raekwon Davis will terrorize LSU’s quarterback Danny Etling and its rushing attack in Hand’s absence.
Buggs (32) and Davis (31) respectively stand at Nos. 4 and 6 on the team in total tackles, while Davis has 5.5 sacks.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
