Alabama Football: Wednesday practice and CNS presser offers new info

Alabama football worked inside Wednesday afternoon for the last media viewing session of the week. Afterward, Saban shared some Ole Miss game plans.

Alabama football moved inside Wednesday afternoon due to rain in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide worked in full pads. There was good news about the defensive line with redshirt senior, Johnny Dwight, and true freshman, Stephon Wynn fully participating in drills. Whether the pair is sufficiently healed to play against Ole Miss is not yet known. As all Alabama football fans know, the thin Tide defensive line needs as many healthy bodies as possible.

None of the media viewing sessions this week indicate Deonte Brown has edged out Alex Leatherwood at right guard. Nor has there been any sign of Mac Jones getting more work for an expanded role at quarterback.

What has been evident this week is using Patrick Surtain Jr. as a starting cornerback in the nickel defense. With Surtain at corner, opposite Saivion Smith, Trevon  Diggs moves to the star position, supplanting Shyheim Carter. On Wednesday, the Crimson Tide worked in its dime formation. In dime, Smith and Surtain are at corner, Diggs at star, Xavier McKinney at money and Thompson and Shyheim Carter at safeties.

These combinations of the first unit have already been used in games. At the post-practice media session, Nick Saban said,

"I think what we’re trying to do is get guys experience for the future, whether we have match-ups in the future we need to use different players against. … Both those guys (Diggs and Surtain) have done well whatever position they’ve played."

Saban also complimented Shyheim Carter for being “smart” and able to play several different positions, like a “jack-of-all trades.”

The biggest news of the media session concerned a starting placekicker. Saban said Joseph Bulovas had done well in practice all week and will start against Ole Miss.

Saban and Matt Luke talked about the upcoming game during the SEC teleconference. As standard fare, both coaches spread compliments on their opponent. When Ole Miss offensive coordinator, Phil Longo spoke to the media earlier in the week, he didn’t quite have the heaping praise routine dialed in. Longo referred to Alabama football as “probably the toughest (Ole Miss) opponent to-date.” Given Ole Miss has played Texas Tech and Southern Illinois, surely that was an unintended slight to the Crimson Tide.

The latest scoop we are hearing from Oxford is many Ole Miss are missing Hugh Freeze. It seems the ousted coach has a vocal group that would like him to be re-hired.