Alabama began preparations for its SEC home opener against Texas A&M on Monday after a dominating performance at Ole Miss.

Head coach Nick Saban met with the media to begin game week and said he's sending the message to his team not to dwell on the fast start but rather focus on continuing to meet the program's standard.

"We obviously did a lot of good things in the Ole Miss game," Saban said. "Made a lot of explosive plays. Showed resiliency in bouncing back after an opening play that wasn't what we wanted it to be. But I still think that, looking at the film, there's a lot of things that we can improve on. I think the most important thing for our team right now is to maintain a standard of excellence and not allow outside voices and influences to affect our intensity, our focus on preparation."

The Crimson Tide will try to do that this weekend against a strong Aggies team that nearly knocked off No. 3 Clemson two weeks ago.

This is what else Saban addressed during the press conference:

  • No significant injuries on the team after Ole Miss game.
  • The challenge in facing Texas A&M this week and what he's seen from Jimbo Fisher's team.
  • The progress Jalen Hurts has made this season and where he's improved most.
  • How the safety duo of Deionte Thompson and Xavier McKinney have played through three games.
  • Similarities in Jimbo Fisher's team this year versus his teams at Florida State and can Alabama draw on those commonalities.
  • How much different Texas A&M will look on offense compared to what Ole Miss showed last week.
  • The biggest improvements Saban has seen from Trevon Diggs at corner.
  • Alabama's success recruiting in the state of Texas.
  • Might his team have a problem with 'rat poison' after how well it's played.

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