As often happens, the sudden cloudburst in a Nick Saban press conference obscured a different — but relevant — point.
Saturday’s game against Middle Tennessee State will be a testing ground for Alabama. That doesn’t mean testing quarterbacks against a lesser opponent, the concept that triggered a brief but relatively intense Saban rant on Monday afternoon. What it does mean is testing the Crimson Tide defense against an offense that isn’t lesser at all.
Yes, MTSU rolled up massive statistics (including 70 points) against a Jackson State team that couldn’t do much to stop them. Yes, the talent gulf between the Jackson State defense and the Alabama defense couldn’t be covered in three days on a cruise ship.