Alabama football coach Nick Saban got mad Saturday afternoon.
Potty-mouth mad.
The Crimson Tide scrimmaged for the second time this preseason inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, but it was the first without sophomore outside linebacker Christoper Allen. The 6-foot-4, 242-pounder from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sustained a knee injury in practice last week and is likely out for the season.
Allen is the second outside linebacker Alabama is expected to be without this season, with junior Terrell Lewis having torn his ACL last month during summer conditioning. Allen's specific injury has yet to be announced.
"It's unfortunate we've got two of these guys now at the same position," Saban said in a news conference. "Both are guys who would have made a contribution to our team. We don't have enough depth, especially on defense, to afford to be able to lose these kinds of players."
Alabama's scrimmage was delayed nearly an hour due to heavy rain but eventually consisted of roughly 130 plays.
Allen was a four-star member of Alabama's 2017 signing class, with 247Sports.com ranking him as the nation's No. 4 inside linebacker and the No. 104 prospect overall. He played in seven games as a freshman, totaling six tackles for the season and forcing a fumble during the 66-3 rout of Ole Miss.
Saban already had fielded a couple of questions concerning Allen when he was asked whether he was concerned about the lack of progress among several of his backups, which is something he touched on earlier this month.
"I've been concerned all long," Saban said. "You guys just think that whatever happens, we just (defecate) another player and everything is going to be perfect. All of our fans think that. That's what you write about and the message you send out there.
"I worry about it all the time. I may be the only one, but I worry about it. Every team has problems."
Anfernee Jennings and Christian Miller give the Crimson Tide a proven tandem at outside linebacker, with Jamey Mosley providing some starting experience as well. Mosley, however, is not going through contact work right now due to a separated shoulder.
"Past that, we have Ben Davis and two freshmen," Saban said. "That's basically what we have."
Saban added that redshirt junior Joshua McMillon could move from inside linebacker to outside to offer assistance, but Alabama's inside linebackers already are down VanDarius Cowan and Keith Holcombe. Cowan was dismissed from the team early last month, and Holcombe has decided to focus solely on baseball.
As for the scrimmage itself, Saban said significant improvement was made from last weekend. He added that quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa each played well for an offense that produced explosive plays and protected the ball.
"Overall, I'm pleased with the improvement we've made," Saban said, "but I'm far from satisfied with where our team is."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.