What Alabama HC Nick Saban said about Arkansas
Alabama head coach Nick Saban met with the media Monday to talk about his team's matchup with the No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks at 2:30 p.m. CT in Fayetteville this Saturday.
Here is what Saban had to say about the Hogs:
General thoughts on what kind of team Arkansas is:
During his opening statement, Saban gave plenty of respect to the Razorbacks.
"This is a very dangerous team we're playing in Arkansas," Saban said. "They have a very, very good team. Coming off a tough loss. They make a lot of explosive plays."
Saban mentioned that Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman has built a good program during his time in Fayetteville.
"Sam's done a great job there, to me," Saban said. "They play with toughness. They run the ball effectively, stop the run on defense. Their guys play hard. They've got a real culture there that shows great intangibles. Their defense is good. This is a really, really good all-around team and it's going to take great preparation on our part to go on the road and be able to play the way we need to play against a good SEC team."
Where have you seen Drew Sanders take his game at Arkansas?
Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders transferred in from Alabama over the offseason. Saban said he’s pleased to see Sanders having success with the Hogs.
"Drew was a good player when he was here," Saban said. "He's certainly playing well for them. It's good to see that he's doing a good job for them. We're happy for him and his family."
Arkansas moved Sanders to inside linebacker after he played outside linebacker at Alabama. If he didn’t transfer, Sanders likely would’ve switched to the inside for the Crimson Tide.
"That was probably what we were going to do," Saban said. "It never worked out. It is what it is. It's good for him that he can play both positions and that he's doing well."
How dynamic of a threat is KJ Jefferson?
Razorback quarterback KJ Jefferson presents a tough challenge for every opponent with his ability as a talented runner
"Big strong guy," Saban said. "Hard to tackle, hard to sack, hard to get on the ground. Can push the pile and run over people when he runs quarterback runs. Very physical player."
Saban went on to describe Jefferson’s ability as a dual-threat quarterback.
"KJ Jefferson — dual-threat wise — big, strong, really good passer,” Saban said. “They've got a lot of quarterback runs, which creates another gap on defense. To go with that, they have great play action passes. They make a lot of explosive plays."
Unlike most coaches who have played the Hogs so far, Saban went out of his way to point out Jefferson’s ability as a passer.
"You can't minimize the effectiveness of this guy as a passer," Saban said. "He is really, really good. He's got a strong arm, throws the deep ball well. They make a lot of explosive plays because they run the ball extremely well. They have really good play action passes. But he executes it both ways very, very well."
Is there a benefit to studying a team after a loss?
Saban was asked if there is an advantage to studying film of a team that just lost a game, as the Hogs were defeated by Texas A&M 23-21 last Saturday.
"First of all I don't see their team after a loss," Saban said. "I see the game. I see how they lost. I'm sure they're very disappointed and I'm sure they'll be upset with the way the game ended up."
The Crimson Tide head coach pointed out the KJ Jefferson fumble on the goal line that was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter as a play that really hurt the Hogs.
"Whether it was the fumble, where they had a chance to go in and score a touchdown, that got returned for 98 yards for a touchdown, which was like a 14-point swing. But I don't really control how the other team thinks or what they do."