With just a few days remaining before their visit to Wallace Wade, the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide returned to the practice fields Tuesday in full pads. After thorough demolitions of San Jose State and then-No. 18 Penn State at home, the trip to Durham marks Alabama's first road game of the year, and according to head coach Nick Saban, a true test of focus.
"The challenge for our team is to focus and play the kind of football we want to play, and on a consistent basis, all the time. Everybody needs to elevate their games," Saban said, as reported by the News & Observer.
"We need more consistency," Saban said. "We have not made special teams an advantage for us. We need to clean up some mental errors on defense."
Alabama is taking a potent Duke offense very seriously in preparation. After scoring 41 points in a win over Elon and 48 points against Wake Forest, the Blue Devils have proven their ability to move the ball downfield, and even the defending national champions are taking notice.
"I know they have a good offense," junior center William Vlachos said to rolltide.com. "They scored quite a few points last week against Wake Forest. Our defense is trying to get better every day and prepare for them."
Saban is highly regarded by his peers, especially Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, for his attention to detail in game preparation. For more on the Saban-Cutcliffe connection, make sure to read Wednesday's edition of the Duke Chronicle.
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