Alabama Football: Practice Notebook, Oct. 8

Sep 1, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Adrian Hubbard (42) in action against the Michigan Wolverines at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

While the rest of the college football watching nation was firmly planted on its couch watching a great weekend of college football unfold, the Alabama Crimson Tide was spread out across the southeast doing something other than watching the action.

“I don’t watch football on TV,” running back Eddie Lacy said.

Some kept the televisions on more for background noise than anything for enjoyment or scouting.

“The game was on, and I was watching our team either in practice on Thursday, or games, or recruits, or somebody that has something to do with improving our situation here,” head coach Nick Saban said.

Others made sure they watched what happened.

“Actually, I did,” offensive lineman Chance Warmack said. “A lot of things happen with the BCS in terms of the top ten. You try not to pay attention to that, but you just look at a lot of situations and they had to deal with adversity and a lot of different things happened.”

Safety Robert Lester added, “I did. And what I learned is anything can happen in the SEC – great teams, great games.”

While his primary attention may have been with the Tide did find something in the upsets of Nos. 3, 4 and 5 to teach to his team.

“This weekend kind of proved that your predictability is not very good,” Saban said. “I think what it proved is the only thing predictable about college football is its unpredictability.

“The key to the whole thing is consistency in performance, having a group of players that are committed to doing the things they need to do to play the game at a high standard and a high level all the time regardless of the circumstance or situation.”

3rd and longshot

The Southeastern Conference has also been a conference known for its defense. In the last two years the SEC has had 11 first round draft picks and is looking to continue that tradition with talent such as Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner, South Carolina defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney and Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones.

Defending the aerial attack has morphed into a specialty of sorts, as the SEC has three schools in the top ten in the country in that statistic: LSU at No. 2, Alabama at No. 3 and Vanderbilt at 10.

Talents like Mark Barron and Morris Claiborne attract most of the attention in pass defense, but Saban has identified the true face of pass defense.

“I think it probably starts with the guys up front,” Saban said. “I’ve always said I thought the thing that’s different about this league was the pass rushers and the cover guys.”

Saban thinks a good pass rush may be more effective than a good coverage scheme since it affects both the offensive line and thus the quarterback’s decision-making process, two vital parts of every pass play.

The Youth of the ‘Bama Nation

Thanks to injuries, Alabama will have to depend on more young players than it was hoping to, especially in skill positions and defense.

Alabama will now have two true freshmen in its three running back rotation, including Kenyan Drake, who has yet to run the ball in a game with a contestable score.

The Tide has full confidence in Drake and his recruiting classmates.

“Exceptional, exceptional running back,” Warmack said. “There’s some thing you can’t teach and he’s one of those type of guys. If he just keeps getting better throughout the week he is going to be an exceptional running back.”

Another freshman in the mix is Geno Smith who may have to replace Deion Belue if he is unable to play in Columbia.

“Geno is a young guy that continues to develop at a lot of different positions,” Saban said. “We’ve just got to keep working to help them make strides every practice, every day, every play so that they can improve a little more consistency and confidence in what they’re doing.”