As the Southeastern Conference decided to postpone the Alabama-LSU matchup, which was scheduled for Saturday, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide gain an extra week to prepare for future opponents.
The Tide was ready to take on the Tigers, unfortunately a COVID outbreak happened at LSU.
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Ed Orgeron told reporters on Monday that it was a ‘fluid’ situation and the SEC’s front office made its move.
Although multiple dates have been thrown into the mix, no one knows the rescheduled time for the game. Alabama will be set to play no matter the outcome, and that is a dangerous recipe for the rest of college football. First off, Saban and company get a second week to have players healthy and well rested. The group of Miller Forristall, Brian Robinson, Slade Bolden, Malachi Moore, Marcus Banks and Phidarian Mathis sustained some bumps and bruises versus Mississippi State. Despite receiving treatment on last week, having another opportunity to achieve the right conditioning for their bodies does not hurt.
When it comes to film study and targeting weaknesses, Saban is one of the best in the sport.
He mentioned in one of his pressers on Alabama watching tape on the schools that defended Mississippi State’s offense the best and had success. The team used high attention to details throughout practice and on Halloween night, the Tide delivered Saban a shutout victory (41-0) over the Bulldogs on his 69th birthday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Whether it is bowl games or revenge matchups, Coach Saban is a mastermind of preparation.
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After losing to Florida in the 2008 SEC Championship Game, he returned in the following season and handed the Gators a defeat in the Georgia Dome (32-13) that it has not recovered from. Since the loss in 2009, Florida has not won a conference title, it has not won a national championship, it has not appeared in the College Football Playoff, and it has been through four different coaches since Urban Meyer.
D.J. Durkin was its interim head coach in the Birmingham Bowl to end the 2014 season.
Alabama suffered a 27-28 loss to Auburn in 2010, but the revenge game was nasty for the Tigers. The Crimson Tide dominated its in-state rival at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2011 by a score of 42-14.
In the aftermath of a 9-6 loss to LSU in 2011, Alabama embarrassed the Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, La.) for the 2012 BCS National Championship Game.
LSU could not move the football, as the Tide’s defense held it scoreless and allowed it to cross midfield once. Alabama won, 21-0, and it started an 8-game winning streak over LSU.
It took a 31-35 loss at the hands of Clemson in the 2017 CFP National Championship Game, but Alabama responded by defeating the Tigers in a 2017 CFP semifinal matchup. The Tide was excellent on defense as it forced two interceptions, including a pick-six for Mack Wilson in a 24-6 victory for Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Upon his return to college football, Jim Harbaugh took shots at Saban as the head coach at Michigan.
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A few national media pundits — including Colin Cowherd — considered Harbaugh to be better than Saban. With a team that lost two games in the 2019 regular season, Alabama got a lot of time to prep for the Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl.
The Tide opened this year at Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.) and Mac Jones was on point.
He completed 16 of 25 passes for 327 yards with three touchdowns. Najee Harris totaled 136 yards rushing with two scores, and Jerry Jeudy posted 204 receiving yards with a touchdown.
Defensively, Alabama shut Michigan off the scoreboard in the second half and earned a 35-16 win. Since the loss, Harbaugh has not fared well this season as his program is 1-2 thus far.
Both Saban and Orgeron want this game.
During the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday, Orgeron told reporters that LSU had started practicing for Arkansas because it ‘did not think the Alabama game would happen.’
He said the Tigers had 30-year-old punter Zach Von Rosenberg play second-team quarterback in Tuesday’s practice. Per Orgeron, it was the best practice for LSU all week.
Saban told the media that Alabama had only one positive COVID test this week after not playing.
We will all be anticipating what happens, but it is a fact that Alabama stays a few steps ahead of most teams.
Saban said players will remain on campus, as the Tide looks to maintain its rhythm.
It might even practice on Saturday.
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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 @CoachingMSmith.
