After a bye week, the Alabama Crimson Tide returned to the practice field on Monday to continue preparing for the LSU Tigers.

Head coach Nick Saban met with the media at noon to discuss his team's off week and where their focus is before leaving for Baton Rouge.

"I feel really good about the bye week work we were able to get in last week," Saban said. "Obviously we started focusing on LSU last Thursday. Players were off a few days so time to get back to really focusing on the challenges of what is basically, you could view, as a new season."

Saturday's game is the biggest to date for the Crimson Tide and might end up being the biggest obstacle to a return trip to the playoff.

"This team is really good all-around so every part of our team is going to have to get challenged and we're going to have to respond really well to the challenges of this game."

Here's what else Saban said during the press conference:

  • What he sees from LSU on film and what he thinks they do well.
  • What he remembers about joining the SEC as LSU head coach.
  • His observations of the LSU offense and why it's different than any team he's faced before.
  • Jalen Hurts is still day-to-day. He will throw in practice and they will see how he moves around in the pocket and how he responds to the workload.
  • How Tua Tagovailoa's mindset and makeup will allow him to deal with the noise and atmosphere of Death Valley.
  • This LSU team plays with toughness and intangibles that you don't see often and that's a characteristic of Coach O.
  • Saivion Smith's development at defensive back since taking over for Trevon Diggs.
  • The offensive line's improvement throughout the season and what he's seen.
  • What makes LSU's secondary so good.

You can watch the full press conference in the video at the top of the page.

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