It is almost time for Alabama to play its most important game of the season to date.

With one loss already, the Tide cannot afford another as it travels to Baton Rouge to play LSU with control of the SEC West on the line.

Nick Saban is holding his weekly “Hey Coach” radio show Thursday night beginning around 7 p.m. CT. Check back here for live updates once Saban begins.

FIRST SEGMENT

— “Excited about the opportunity we got coming up,” Saban begins.

— Saban said the open week was a “good time” for a break because there were a significant amount of guys injured. He explained that injured players who aren’t able to practice but are able to play are not always able to play well. “I think to get Bryce back where he could practice was really helpful to the offense,” Saban said, clarifying that Young played well after returning his shoulder injury but there was not continuity on the offense.

— Saban said road games are a “challenge and opportunity” and players need to think about how they will silence the crowd by their play. “Don’t get them involved in the game by things you do wrong.”

— PeeWee asked about the training staff getting players back to playing. “I think we probably have the best medical staff in the country,” Saban said, adding the staff has the trust of the players. Saban said college players need to be convinced to play if they are not 100 percent, but NFL players are not always 100 percent when they play because of smaller roster sizes. “We’re not trying to get anybody to play ever when it’s not in their best interest to play,” Saban said, but explained there is a difference between risking further injury and being “a little bit hurt.”

— Saban said he will ask injured players if they can “do their job,” and the player ultimately has the final say.

— “It’s the only time I see any people,” Saban says of his weekly Thursday radio show. “I think it’s a good way to message some of the things that are important to the program.”

— Saban said a bye week is assumed to be a good thing, but you never know until you get through it and see the result.

SECOND SEGMENT

— Saban interjected to start the segment wanting to make another point about maintaining intensity. “Can you recapture the momentum of a game so that you don’t start reeling when things don’t go well? That all goes back to your ability to overcome adversity and be able to sustain things even when things aren’t going well for you, and keep positive thoughts in your head,” he said. “I think that ability is really, really important when you’re in competition. Momentum is important but being able to recapture momentum is also important, Saban said.

— Saban said Bryce Young is better looking than him and has a great personality to do television commercials. That’s impressive for a young guy, Saban said.

— Saban said Young is “very bright” and has a “great family” with “really good values.” Saban said Young does a good job of seeing others’ perspectives. “He’s got it all when it comes to great personality, positive, upbeat — I haven’t met the person that doesn’t respect him and like him because he treats everybody so well.”

— Saban said an extra day off during the season is 10 times better than one day off. Players had a two-day break and a three-day break around the open week, and “less is more” to help players’ bodies recover.

— Asked if RPOs would be eliminated if linemen couldn’t block more than a yard downfield like the NFL rule, Saban said the college rule allowing 3.5 yards stipulates blockers must engage at the line of scrimmage. That does not always happen, Saban said, saying linemen block linebackers immediately and that should not be allowed by the letter of the college rule. “But it’s really difficult to officiate,” he said. “That’s why RPOs have become such a big part of the game.” Saban said RPOs have doubled points scored by offenses. There are also “zone-read street plays” where officials give latitude to block past the line of scrimmage.

— Saban said there is a “lot of talk” about length of games in college football. When Saban was in the NFL, research was done about how long games should last. It’s an entertainment business and TV windows were important, he said, noting some college games last four hours. “I know there’s a lot of research being done right now on how can we make the game more consistent in pace of play.” Saban noted not stopping the clock on first downs like the NFL, or not stopping the clock on incompletions outside of late-half or late-game windows. Saban said there are people trying to make the college game better and fairer.

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.