Nick Saban reveals why Mississippi State is a 'big challenge' for Alabama

For the last few years, teams knew what they were up against with Mississippi State and its Air Raid offense. But after the sudden death of Mike Leach, Zach Arnett and his new-look staff have changed everything about the offense.

That means teams are in for a new challenge against the Bulldogs. The Air Raid is no more, and they run a pro-style offense even with Will Rogers still at quarterback. As a result, preparation is different for teams getting ready to head to Starkville.

To Nick Saban, that makes this week’s game even bigger for Alabama.

“I really think this is a big game for us,” Saban said on Hey Coach and The Nick Saban Show. “I think this is a big challenge for us being on the road. This is a tough place to play, always a tough place to play. And this is a very physical, tough, well-coached team. It’s not the team that you saw before, in terms of the offense. They’re gonna run the ball, they’ve got a good back, they’ve got some good receivers. The quarterback’s started 38 games or whatever and is a really, really good player.

“They’re very aggressive on defense. This is a very challenging preparation for us and it’s a very challenging game for us. And we need to continue to progress as a team if we’re going to have success in this game.”

One of Saban’s biggest messages to the Crimson Tide players was to make sure they’re doing all they can to put their best effort on the field and get better. He reiterated that message during his “Final Word” on Thursday as he looks to see even more improvement following last week’s victory over Ole Miss.

Going up against a team that’s gone through so many changes, Saban said Saturday’s game is an opportunity for Alabama to show it’s improving.

“I asked everybody today what I said earlier. Everybody’s got to look in the mirror, aight?” Saban said. “You’ve got to say, ‘Am I doing the things that I want to do to create the value for myself and our team, that I’m capable of doing?’ So what can we do to continue to improve and do better? I’ve liked the attitude of our team this week in practice, and I’m excited about the challenge and I’m excited about the opportunity that this team has to continue to grow and get better as a group.”