Bryce Young explains how Alabama player leadership is resolving road game issues

Bryce Young and Alabama have gone to their fair share of hostile environments this year, playing at Texas, at Arkansas and at Tennessee so far this season. But they’re gearing up for their greatest road test yet this week at LSU, and Young knows how important leadership is in those away matchups.

Alabama handled itself pretty well against Arkansas even though Young got hurt, but the Texas and Tennessee games weren’t easy. The Crimson Tide defeated the Longhorns 20-19 Sept. 10, but suffered their lone loss of the season to the Vols 52-49 at Neyland Stadium Oct. 15. Alabama is 53-10 in true conference road games since Saban took over, and the Tide will try to continue that trend this week.

Although going into hostile environments isn’t easy, Young said good energy is going to be key to good preparation.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“We just want to make a better environment as a leadership and a team,” Young told reporters this week. “We all have each other’s back, we all play for each other. A lot of it’s in the preparation we have throughout the week and then on game days, just trying to make sure that we have a good environment, we have good energy in the locker room and on the field.

“We’re always, especially in the leadership group, emphasizing making sure that we’re supporting each other, making sure we know we have each other’s back. Again, especially when we’re on the road in a hostile environment, it’s important for us to lean on each other and make sure we have each other’s back. There’s been a lot of emphasis on that recently.”

Nick Saban reveals how Alabama has recovered since Tennessee loss

Nick Saban has seen his Alabama squad rebound, change and grow in a huge way after losing a shootout to the now-No. 1 Tennessee several weeks ago.

While the Crimson Tide aren’t in the spot they would like to be at this point in the season, Saban praised his group for regrouping since the win and completely changing their mindsets for the second half of the season.

“I think that maybe we got a little bit too focused on winning and not on what you have to do to win, and I think that created a little too much anxiety for us,” Saban told Scott Van Pelt. “I’ve seen our players get back to the basic fundamentals of what you have to do to execute on a consistent basis. And amazingly enough, people are always more apt and willing to do that when a thunderbolt hits them – and there’s nothing like a thunderbolt than losing a big game.”