Hear What Nick Saban Said About Facing Mississippi State

Alabama continued prepping for a tough Mississippi State team on Wednesday and head coach Nick Saban held his final press conference of the week after practice concluded.

The Crimson Tide will face a ranked Bulldogs team that has been playing well of late and nearly beat Alabama a year ago.

"We have lots of respect for Mississippi State," Saban said. "We've had some really tough games with them in the past and they're playing really well right. I think our team needs to focus on what we need to do to get better."

The Bulldogs' defensive front gets most of the headlines - and rightfully so - but quarterback Nick Fitzgerald presents a lot of challenges to a defense.

"I think their offensive scheme is really difficult to defend. When you have a quarterback that runs the ball for more yards than the two running backs put together and the two running backs are both pretty good, that tells you what kind of runner he is. But you're defending like a Wildcat offense every time."

Here's what else Saban said on Wednesday:

• The team is looking forward to getting back home after nearly a month.
• Jerry Jeudy had a tweak in practice but is fine.
• Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith are doing a little more everyday but they aren't pushing them too hard and risking make things worse.
• Mike Locksley's growth as an offensive coordinator.
• The difference in preparing for a familiar SEC West opponent versus preparing for an SEC East team that you don't see on a yearly basis.
• How he's seen the sophomores grow and improve from their first year.

You can watch Saban's full press conference in the video at the top of the page.