Alabama Football: Ole Miss practice and Saban’s week five comments

Another 90-degree afternoon in Tuscaloosa. Another day in full pads as Alabama football prepared for Ole Miss, plus Saban’s weekly double media day.

After two days of rest, it has been two days in full pads for Alabama football. Almost four and a half weeks into a long eight-week grind, the Tide will need some spring in its step racing up, down and across Bryant-Denny against the Ole Miss ‘Air Raid’ offense.

Alabama football is doing extra dime work this week which included the regular dime and also the dime rabbits package.

Alabama Crimson Tide Football

On Saturday, look for Mack Wilson to have a key role as an edge rusher in the rabbits package. Other Alabama football linebackers expected to come off the edge Saturday night are Rashaan Evans and Dylan Moses.

Media observers reported Josh Jacobs appears fully recovered from his hamstring injury. Defensive lineman, Jamar King was seen with a larger than normal brace on a knee. Overall the Tide appears to be at its healthiest point in weeks. One concern is that Jamey Mosley has not been at workouts this week.

Freshman Linebacker Dylan Moses has changed numbers again, going from No. 8 to No. 18. Moses is a key special teams player and the number change will allow Josh Jacobs to participate alongside Moses.

Saban’s Wednesday Comments

• “Conditioning” is a huge challenge against teams like Ole Miss. Keeping guys fresh will be very important.
• Trevon Diggs “has been the most consistent guy fielding the ball” on punt returns, which will be important again this week against a rugby-style punter.
• Nick reported the Jamey Mosley absence this week is due to illness. He said Mosley might be able to practice on Thursday.
• Saban compared Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson to Johnny Manziel and said his scrambling ability can disrupt the Tide’s “pattern-matching schemes’ on defense.
• It is somewhat unusual for Saban to mention backup, true freshmen during a midweek review. Today he mentioned two of them, saying Major Tennison and Kedrick James did very well last week.

Saban also said he thought the Ole Miss game is very important for Alabama football. We are confident Nick Saban has never coached any team, and certainly not Alabama, in an unimportant game.

Next: Check out the Ole Miss 'Air Raid' from new OC Phil Longo

In fairness to Nick on the ‘importance’ of the Ole Miss, Saban hates fast-ball offenses. We know he hates to lose more than he loves to win. We guess for Nick losing to a ‘fast-ball’ team is even more painful.