Nick Saban says Mississippi State game is a 'bigger challenge' than Ole Miss, South Florida

Nick Saban isn’t looking beyond Mississippi State, believing the Bulldogs are a bigger test for Alabama than they’ve seen in recent weeks.

Of course, that’s bound to raise some eyebrows, after the Crimson Tide struggled with the South Florida Bulls, and defeated the Ole Miss Rebels last weekend. Regardless, Saban said what he said on Monday, and it’s evident he has immense respect for the Bulldogs.

“Our first SEC road game, and this is actually a bigger challenge for us than the last two games, in my opinion,” Saban said.

As we know by now, Saban doesn’t just go around spewing nonsense. He explained his comment afterwards, heaping praise on the job Zach Arnett has done, and the talent quarterback Will Rogers possesses.

“In terms of, this team is very physical, very aggressive on defense. Creates a lot of negative plays. They’ve got a lot of starters back. They know their system. They know their scheme. They play very, very well,” explained Saban. “You know, Zach Arnett. It’s his system. He’s a very good defensive coach. As the head coach, he’s done a really good job there. Obviously the quarterback (Will Rogers) has been an outstanding player for a long time. But with the new offense that they run, there’s a lot more balance in it. They’ve got two really good backs that are very, very productive when they run the football. They’ve got a really, really good receiver. No. 5, [Lideatrick] Griffin. Who is very, very productive. They’ve made a lot of explosive plays. … They play really good on special teams.

“This is an overall really, really good team, and it’s going to be a real challenge for us, going on the road in the SEC to play against this team this week, and this is something that our players have to really focus on, and do a great job in preparation, so we can eliminate you know, some of these things that have happened in games. Whether they’re drive-stoppers, or giving up the big play or whatever it is. We’ve got to eliminate those things.”

Entering their Week 5 showdown with Alabama, Mississippi State is on a two-game losing streak, as they fell to the LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks in consecutive weeks. However, a victory over Alabama would cause Bulldogs faithful to forget all about that.

Easier said than done. Nick Saban and Alabama aren’t taking Mississippi State lightly, as the Crimson Tide are looking to go into Starkville and leave victorious.