Saban puts 15-0 mark vs. former assistants on line
Alabama football coach Nick Saban will again be staring across the field at one of his former assistants.
Saban is a sparkling 15-0 against head coaches who once worked for him, having defeated Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher, Louisiana’s Billy Napier and Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt this season. All of his triumphs at the expense of former assistants have occurred by double figures, with the exception of the Crimson Tide’s 26-23 overtime victory over Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs in January’s national championship game inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The No. 1 Crimson Tide (12-0) and No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) are vying there again Saturday, this time for a Southeastern Conference crown, and Saban is not exactly touting his record against former assistants as another such encounter approaches.
“I think all those things are circumstantial,” Saban said. “Obviously, Georgia has one of the best teams in the country, and Kirby’s built that there and improved that circumstance. A lot of guys we’ve played in the past that had our assistants were rebuilding programs that were down and hadn’t had an opportunity to build them up, so it’s not always been a level playing field.
“We certainly have a lot of respect for Georgia and what they’ve done and what they’re capable of.”
Smart, who served as Alabama’s defensive coordinator under Saban from 2008 to 2015, was asked how special would it be to topple his former mentor.
“I really don’t look at it that way at all,” Smart said. “It’s not personal for me. It would be gratifying to our players. It would be the next step towards going to the playoffs, and those are the objectives that we want. It’s not about me. It’s not about him. It’s not about the fact that we worked together.
“It’s never about that to me, because I don’t see it that way. What I see is a really good football team on the other side that our guys have earned the right to go play against, and that’s really all it is for me.”
Singular focus
Saban was asked in a news conference after Wednesday’s practice whether he had talked with Jalen Hurts about the possibility of the backup quarterback transferring to play his final season of eligibility.
“We’re all kind of focused on the game, and I think Jalen is focused on the game,” Saban said. “I don’t think anybody is thinking about that much right now, and I don’t think we’ll be thinking about it until we finish playing. Jalen has been a real positive influence on the team this year, and he’s handled this as professionally as anyone can ever expect anyone to.
“He’s embraced the role that he has, and I think he’s improved as a result of it.”
Hurts has completed 43 of 58 passes (74.1 percent) for 673 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions this season, when he also has rushed 29 times for 139 yards (4.8 per carry) and a score. He missed the shutout victories over LSU and Mississippi State due to a sprained ankle incurred at Tennessee.
Speculation squashed
Alabama fans have been buzzing this week after junior outside linebacker Terrell Lewis was spotted working in the portion of practice open to the media. Lewis, who underwent surgery on a torn ACL in July, is going through individual drills but is not doing anything contact-related.
“This is just the next phase of his rehab,” Saban said. “This does not mean he has been cleared at all to play football or that it has even been discussed that he will play football. When he passes this phase, then he’ll go to the next phase.
“It’s a medical decision in terms of when he might be able to play, but it’s certainly not anytime soon in terms of the game coming up.”
The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Lewis missed most of last season with an elbow injury but recorded a 13-yard sack of Georgia’s Jake Fromm in overtime of the national championship game.