Nick Saban knows the importance of home-field advantage.
Alabama will have its first SEC game at home with fans on Saturday since 2019.
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The Crimson Tide welcomes Lane Kiffin and Mississippi to Bryant-Denny Stadium.
After seeing Florida fans cause problems for Alabama’s defense at “The Swamp,” Coach Saban wants the same energy from the Tide faithful. Regardless of how early it is in the season, this matchup has the ingredients for marquee television ratings. Also, whoever wins the matchup takes the lead in the SEC West.
Quarterbacks Matt Corral (Mississippi) and Bryce Young (Alabama) are in the front of the Heisman conversation.
Whoever has the best performance takes the lead. Saban spoke about fan participation on Wednesday, but he doubled down on those comments during Thursday’s radio show.
The 69-year-old wants BDS to be a hostile environment for the Rebels.
“Everybody should be really excited to have an SEC game at home in a full stadium against a very good, ranked team,” he said. “And your energy, passion, and enthusiasm should reflect that, and it should be something that has an impact on the players.”
Alabama fans brought excitement versus Southern Mississippi. Their support and the LED lighting featured allowed for the Crimson Tide’s offense to score 63 points. The defense was motivated too, especially with it creating an interception and having players rotated into the game. Hopefully, the fan base will adhere to Saban’s message and support the team for 60 minutes.
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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.
