Alabama will have to share at least a little bit of the Southeastern Conference spotlight during its New Year’s Eve matchup with Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl.
Television cameras are certain to focus on Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban during the telecast. Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin assuredly will get face time when Alabama has the ball, and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is expected to get more attention than ever.
Smart is down to 13 or 24 days as a Saban assistant, having accepted the head-coaching job at Georgia earlier this month and having already begun recruiting for the Bulldogs.
“It will be a tremendous benefit to him,” Saban said of the impending exposure. “He’ll get a lot of recognition coaching in this game. There will be a lot of people out there watching this game, and I’m sure it will get mentioned a few times that he’s going to be the head coach of an SEC school.
“I know he wants to do a good job because of that.”
On Thursday, Alabama held its second on-campus practice for the national semifinal, working out for two hours in full pads at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. The Crimson Tide are expected to practice inside regardless of the weather in Tuscaloosa since the game at AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington will be indoors.
Smart’s final Crimson Tide defense leads the nation in rushing defense (allowing 74.0 yards a game) and ranks second in total defense (258.2). Alabama ranks fourth in pass efficiency defense, having returned four interceptions for touchdowns, and sixth in third-down defense (allowing a 27.9-percent conversion rate).
Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland was a recent finalist for the Bednarik Award, as was junior defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson for the Outland Trophy. Smart was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach.
“We have a lot of respect for Kirby, and I know what kind of person he is and what kind of competitor he is,” Saban said. “I know that he wants to do a great job for our players. We’re trying to help him manage his time so that he can do a good job for us and still do what he needs to do for them, and so far I think that’s working out OK.”
Tide tidbits
Saban said there will be 29 Crimson Tide players, scholarship and walk-on, at the Cotton Bowl who have graduated. This will be just the second meeting of the Tide and Spartans. Alabama demolished Michigan State 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl after the 2010 season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6524.