Nick Saban appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday ahead of Crimson Tide’s crucial SEC West showdown with LSU.

Saban, who has a 201-28 on-the-field record at Alabama, is 12-5 against LSU as coach at Alabama. The winner of Alabama-LSU has emerged as the SEC West champion 10 of the past 12 years. It’s the 18th time since 2002 they have met as ranked teams.

Here’s what the Alabama coach had to say:

How do you adapt your message to the team to the circumstances in front of them?

“I think every game is a little bit different. In this game, both teams are going to want to win. A little bit like a heavyweight fight. They gonna hit us. We’re going to hit them. They are going to knock us down. We’re going to knock them down. The question is who is going to sustain that and be the last man standing because you have the type of mental toughness that you need to sustain and stay in the moment.

“We talk about being positive. More importantly than being positive, you have to stay in the moment. You have to be able to play the next play, regardless of what happens. You have to get some consistency in performance going against a good opponent.”

What have you seen from Jalen Milroe since his benching against South Florida?

“He’s done a great job. I think he’s learned to sort of do what I talked about before, which is stay in the moment, not get affected by a negative play, be able to play the next play, execute with more consistency because he has gained more confidence in the offense and understanding what he should do. He distributed the ball a lot better now than early on. That all comes from good knowledge and execution. That’s what makes him a more consistent player.”

On challenge of scrambling QBs like LSU Jayden Daniels

“It’s a special challenge when you play a guy like this, especially because he is a step-up-in-the-pocket guy. He’s not a run-around-sideways guy. Now, he can scramble to throw and he’s a very good thrower. You don’t press the pocket on the guy and squeeze him, if you get pushed by, you’re playing with 10, so that just opens up those lanes for him. This is a very challenging guy because of his athleticism, his ability to run but he has great vision in the field, in terms of making choices and decisions in the passing game. He can extend those plays and if you don’t have great pass rush lanes, he’s going to kill you stepping up and running down the field.”

What does Jermaine Burton bring to the team?

“I think he’s got experience, but he has juice. He plays fast. When he’s dialed in and doing the right things and doing things with precision in the passion game, he’s really hard to guard. He has really good hands. He can run after the catch, and he’s been a really good addition for us.”

On how special Caleb Downs can be

“Caleb Downs is mature beyond his years. He’s a football junkie. He comes from a football family. His dad’s a coach. He’s a student of the game. He understands offense. He understands adjustments. It’s very very seldom you get a freshman that is that far along in terms of their knowledge of the game. He can apply it in a game, and he doesn’t get frustrated when something doesn’t go right, or he makes a mistake in a game. He just keeps playing. He’s a great competitor. He’s physical. He’s tough. He has really good ball skills. This guy is going to be a great player.”

Is it games like this that get the juice flowing for him?

“You get to do something you get to love you do. Some people say I have to do it. I have to do it like it’s really hard to, but I the way I look at, especially at my age, you get to do it. You continue to get to it, to compete, to be a part of the team, to try and get a team to come together and play the way they need to play to be able to have success against a really good opponent. And I just love it.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.