How Nick Saban prepares Alabama for 11 a.m. kickoff against Arkansas
It’s an exceedingly rare occurrence for Alabama football to play a morning SEC game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Saturday’s matchup with Arkansas will be the first such game since 2016, when Mississippi State traveled to Tuscaloosa for an 11 a.m. kickoff and left after a 51-3 beatdown at the hands of the Crimson Tide.
During the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday, head coach Nick Saban was asked what he has to do differently with his team to get it ready for the earlier kickoff.
“I think what we try to emphasize with our players is, when your feet hit the ground in the morning, it’s gonna be early, you gotta be ready to go,” Saban said. “It happens quick. Pregame meal is early and you gotta be ready to go.”
Saban’s record in early games at Alabama is unblemished. The Crimson Tide has played 26 games with kickoffs at 11:30 a.m. or earlier since he arrived in 2007, and hasn’t lost a single one.
The Arkansas game will also serve as UA’s homecoming, with the parade starting at 7 a.m. this year. The Tide hasn’t lost a homecoming game since 2001 against a Saban-led LSU team.
Saban noted Wednesday that he doesn’t think any of the prior morning matchups will matter against the Razorbacks.
“It also has a little bit with who you’re playing,” Saban said. “And I think we’re playing a really good team this week, so it’s gonna be a real challenge for us.”
The Alabama-Arkansas game will be aired on ESPN.