Nick Saban emphasizing the 'little things' ahead of Mississippi State road trip

Alabama hasn’t been the dominant force this year like we’ve become accustomed to over the past 15 years. Nick Saban is as antsy as anyone to get back to it, but is having to preach the fundamentals at this point of the season.

Going back to the basics isn’t a bad thing — and a bit of simplicity could go a long way in those efforts. Every championship-level team he’s ever coached mastered the fundamentals before the end of the season, and this team could have that same potential.

“We have got to get our players — and I’ve said this before — to continue to keep doing the little things right. That is the No. 1 thing,” Saban said on his weekly coaches show. “Hands inside when you’re blocking so you don’t get holding calls. It’s important for guys to get their second step on the ground on the offensive line because these guys are going to slant and stunt and blitz every down. You have to take small steps so that you can gather people up and if you don’t do things the right way — bad things happen.

“That’s been pretty consistent for us, but we’ve done a lot of good things. I believe in this team, but we have to have a sense of urgency if we’re going to do the little things right for us to have the success that we’re capable of having.”

The fundamentals have given the Crimson Tide some troubles through four games this season. Alabama has been slapped with 23 total penalties which has given away 204 yards to the opposition, which averages out to roughly 51 yards per game given up on penalties alone.

On top of that, Alabama’s quarterbacks have been sacked 16 times on the season, meaning even when there isn’t a penalty you can expect Jalen Milroe, or whoever is under center at the time, to be running for their life on any given play since the protection is so prone to break down.

Still, the identity-less offense has put together a respectable season en route to their 3-1 start, and Alabama has a key opportunity to right its early season wrongs with a strong performance on both sides of the ball this weekend on the road against Mississippi State.

Kickoff from Starkville is scheduled for Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET live on ESPN. The Crimson Tide are 14.5-point betting favorites in Vegas.