Nick Saban wants Jalen Milroe to take emotions out of Texas matchup

Finally, the highly-anticipated Alabama–Texas matchup in Tuscaloosa is here. Emotions are going to be running high in Bryant-Denny Stadium, with both teams wanting to earn a statement win on Saturday night primetime. But as usual, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is looking to his quarterback to be level-headed.

During a pregame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Saban reveals Jalen Milroe just needs to go out there and “do his job.” If he is able to do the small things correctly, Saban seems confident in how the Alabama offense is going to perform.

“He just needs to take his emotions and focus on what he needs to do his job,” Saban said. “Do the little things better, simple things right. I think it’s more important that we’re physical up front on both sides of the ball in this game so we can play well.”

Milroe played a composed game in Week 1, with Middle Tennessee State coming to Tuscaloosa. He accounted for five total touchdowns and most likely cemented himself as the long-term starter for Alabama. But Saturday will be a different beast with Texas marching into Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Elsewhere and probably to no surprise, Saban is also worried about the line of scrimmage. If this game were to be played in a year’s time, it would be considered an SEC matchup. Alabama has been the class of the conference for years but Texas is hoping to establish itself early on.

Nick Saban gives update on injured Alabama defensive backs

Heading into the night, one of the big storylines was the health of a couple of Alabama defensive backs. Malachi Moore and Jaylen Key exited the Middle Tennessee State game with injuries and Saban was not too committal on their status throughout the week.

Well, just before kickoff, Saban revealed both Moore and Key were going to start. A huge boost for the Alabama secondary going up against what is a talented Texas receiver room.

“They’re both going to start the game,” Saban said. “So we’ll see how they hold up.”

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is not going to be afraid to take shots down the field. Having two defensive back starters will give Saban more confidence on the defensive end. Especially since both have the ability to play one-on-one against the wide receivers when called upon. A difficult task is ahead of Moore and Key on Saturday night.