Alabama's Focus Turns to Western Kentucky

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama football team started its preparations for Saturday's home opener at Bryant-Denny Stadium with a 90-minute practice in full pads Monday afternoon.

The practice began outdoors before weather moved the workout into the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility after roughly 15 minutes. No. 2 Alabama (1-0) is coming off of a 41-14 victory over No. 8 Michigan last Saturday at Cowboys Stadium. Western Kentucky (1-0) defeated Austin Peay 41-10 in its season opener.

"We are certainly looking forward to our home opener in Bryant-Denny Stadium," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said at his weekly press conference. "We had a great crowd and great venue this past weekend. It was great for our fans. We certainly enjoyed participating in that game, but even more we are looking forward to playing at home. I think all of our players love playing in Bryant-Denny Stadium and love the great atmosphere that we have there, so I know that the players are looking forward to that."

The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky travel to Tuscaloosa for the second time in team history, with the first meeting coming in 2008, a 41-7 decision that favored the Tide.

"They've [Western Kentucky] won eight out of their last nine games, and they are probably one of the better teams in the Sun Belt this year, maybe the Sun Belt champs eventually," Saban said. "They've got 18 or 19 starters coming back from last year's team that won seven out of the last eight games after going 0-4. Willie Taggart has done a really good job there in the three seasons that he's been there."

Earlier today, the Southeastern Conference office announced its players of the week for week one. T.J. Yeldon received recognition for his 11-carry, 111-yard, and one-touchdown performance as he was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, while junior cornerback Dee Milliner was awarded SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Milliner tallied five tackles, four pass deflections and an interception.

Alabama and Western Kentucky will kick off at 2:39 p.m. (CDT) Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised regionally by the SEC Network. Mike Morgan and Chris Doering will have the call, while Jill Montgomery will be reporting live from the sidelines.