Saban expects to clear COVID-19 protocol, coach Saturday at LSU
Alabama coach Nick Saban expects to be back on the sidelines Saturday at LSU.
Saban, who tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday, had to watch the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s 42-13 victory over rival Auburn from home over the weekend while offensive coordinator
Steve Sarkisian ran the show.
“I’m feeling fine, so you don’t need to worry about me,” Saban said on Monday. “And just to make it clear, I'll be evaluated by the medical staff later in the week and they'll make a determination as to when I come back. But I don’t anticipate any problems in being able to coach the game this week.”
The 69-year-old coach has said he had only mild symptoms and no fever. The Southeastern Conference requires those with positive tests to remain isolated for at least 10 days from when they first started experiencing symptoms. They have to have gone at least 24 hours without a fever before being allowed to return.
That gives Saban a window to return against LSU Saturday night in a game that was postponed from Nov. 14 because of the Tigers’ COVID-10-related issues.
“Of course it will be big, I mean it’s Nick Saban,” Tide safety Jordan Battle said. “Everybody knows that. It wouldn’t change things too much. As you saw, we didn’t have Coach last week and we still stayed the course.”
ELSEWHERE
FAU: The Owls (5-1,
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4-1 Conference USA) are turning their attention to their penultimate game of the regular season against Georgia Southern, after having their seventh game canceled or delayed due to reasons related to the coronavirus this past weekend. The FAU-Georgia Southern game was originally scheduled for Sept. 19 but was pushed back to Dec. 5 due to the Owls’ COVID-19 outbreak the week preceding the matchup. “It’s frustrating, and it’s the world we live in right now,” FAU coach Willie Taggart said.
Ohio State: Players not in quarantine because of COVID-19 were allowed to return to the team facility for small-group workouts Monday. The No. 3 Buckeyes are hoping to be healthy enough to travel to East Lansing to play a scheduled game at Michigan State on Saturday. An unacceptable number of cases led to cancellation of their game at Illinois last week. Ohio State (4-0) needs to play this week and next week against Michigan to have enough games to be eligible to play for a Big Ten title.
Indiana: Quarterback ●
Michael Penix Jr. will miss the rest of this season with a torn knee ligament, marking the second time in three years he’s injured the right knee. Redshirt sophomore Jack Tuttle, who started his career at Utah, replaced Penix during Saturday’s victory over Maryland and now steps into the leading role for one of the nation’s most surprising teams. The Hoosiers (5-1, No. 12 CFP) have been ranked for six consecutive weeks — one short of the school record — and moved up two spots in this week’s rankings.
Oklahoma State: Offensive tackle Teven Jenkins has decided to skip the remainder of the season to prepare for the NFL draft. Jenkins was injured against Oklahoma on Nov. 21 and did not play this past Saturday against Texas Tech. Coach Mike Gundy said the 6-foot-6, 320-pound senior has been dealing with back pain.
USC: The Trojans will play Washington State on Sunday at 9 p.m. instead of Friday, in the hope that several Trojans currently in quarantine will be cleared to return by then. USC has four positive cases and seven other players quarantined because of contact tracing protocols.
Minnesota: The Gophers have called off this weekend’s game against No. 16 Northwestern, their second straight cancellation due to a spike in COVID-19 cases within the program.
Georgia: Greg McGarity is retiring after 10 years as Georgia’s athletic director.