Alabama coach Nick Saban updated the status of some injured players after Saturday’s 63-3 win over Kentucky. Here is what he said about those players and the game:
— Tight end Miller Forristall was in uniform on the sideline but did not play, with Alabama starting Jahleel Billingsley instead while using Kendall Randolph in blocking situations. Saban said Forristall has a sprained ankle and a “little bit of a shoulder,” and he could have played. “I just decided, I told him, we’re only going to play in an emergency if we need you,” Saban said. “We need to get you healthy and those other guys have taken most of the reps in practice during the week.”
— Wide receiver Slade Bolden was not spotted on the sideline in the second half, with DeVonta Smith and later Patrick Surtain taking over punt-return duties. Saban said Bolden “twisted his ankle a little bit,” and added, “I don’t know what his status will be, but I don’t think it’s that bad. But we never know for sure.”
— On the game overall, Saban said the energy, intensity and attention to detail was “not what we wanted to be” but they played better as the game progressed. “I’m really pleased with the way our players responded in the game.”
— Saban congratulated DeVonta Smith for setting the Alabama and SEC records for career touchdown catches.
— Saban said a good thing about the game was the amount of players who played, saying “those guys aren’t that far from playing” and they needed the experience.
— Saban: “All in all it was a good team win.” He liked out the defense played in the second half. “We’ll just have to keep on building on this momentum and the rhythm that we have, get some guys healthy and see if we can get going.”
— Asked about the first touchdown pass for Bryce Young, as well as the first touchdown runs by Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams, Saban said it makes him “really happy” to have production. “Everybody wants to score a touchdown, so I think that’s great,” he said.
— Saban said Kentucky hit early-game runs on mis-fit gaps by Alabama’s defense as well as mental errors on motions and shifts. Players got more used to the motions and shifts as the game progressed, and coaches made corrections. “It really is a lot of the stuff we worked on [in practice], it was just a matter of being a little bit apprehensive to do what they knew was right in the game,” he said.
— Saban had a strong reaction to Kentucky’s dominant time of possession in the first half, saying, “the last time I checked, you get nothing for time of possession.”
— Asked about Landon Dickerson, Saban complimented him and said he affects other plays in a positive way.
— Saban said Jahleel Billingsley had a “really good week in practice” and played “really well” in the game. “We need more guys like him that are play-maker types to be able to step up and play, and maybe this game today will get him some confidence,” Saban added.
— On Mac Jones’ interception, Saban said the quarterback was “getting a little greedy” and he made what Saban calls a “hope” throw against tight coverage. The message going into the game was to take Kentucky’s defense was giving and Jones did not do that on the play, Saban said.
— Saban said the defensive discipline was better in terms of fewer penalties. “Once we settled into the game, I thought we played with really good focus,” he said.
— Asked about how DeVonta Smith “upholds the core values of the program,” Saban said there is not a player who does that better than Smith. Saban noted Smith will talk to other players one-on-one about how to improve. “Smitty came back because he wanted to have a great, productive year,” Saban added. “He wanted to get a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger, and improve his draft status. I certainly think he’s demonstrating that in a really, really positive way so far this year.”
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.
