Alabama's top-end talent this football season - whether quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris, receiver DeVonta Smith or cornerback Patrick Surtain - has been nothing short of exemplary through the Crimson Tide's 6-0 start.
The same could be said for receiver Jaylen Waddle before his season-ending ankle injury Oct. 24 inside Neyland Stadium.
It's Alabama's stars of tomorrow that 14th-year Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is hoping to address during this open date before a Nov. 14 trip to LSU. The No. 2 Crimson Tide have dispatched each of their first six foes by at least 15 points, which includes the recent thrashings of Tennessee (48-17) and Mississippi State (41-0).
"I think the bye week is coming at a really good time for us," Saban said Saturday night after administering the first shutout of Mike Leach's head-coaching career. "We've got a lot of guys who need to get healed up, and we've got a lot of other guys who need to make some improvement, so when they're called on, they're going to be ready to play and be effective as players."
As explosive as Alabama's offense has been when all the regulars are involved, the Crimson Tide have yet to score a fourth-quarter touchdown with five-star freshman Bryce Young at quarterback. During the four games in which Alabama entered the fourth quarter in complete control - Missouri, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Mississippi State - the Crimson Tide offense has scored just two touchdowns, with Jones passes accounting for both.
Young, in his limited action, has completed 8 of 15 passes for 84 yards, while freshman receivers Javon Baker (two games), Thaiu Jones-Bell (one game) and Traeshon Holden (one game) have hardly played. Redshirt freshman running back Trey Sanders has rushed 30 times for 134 yards (4.5 yards per carry), getting his most significant playing time this past week due to senior backup Brian Robinson Jr. being nicked up.
"We have a lot of confidence in Trey and think he's a really, really good player," Saban said. "It was good for him to get out there and have some good positive runs and make some really good cuts and have a really positive night from my standpoint. We're going to have to play without Jaylen Waddle for the rest of the season, so I think other people have to step up.
"We're going to have to get some consistent performance out of a lot of players. A point of emphasis in this bye week is to get some of these guys to where they can play football."
This week's open date will allow the likes of receiver Slade Bolden, tight end Miller Forristall, and defensive backs Marcus Banks and Malachi Moore to heal their respective injuries that are not considered serious, and the players seem to be up for the hiatus.
"We need it. The team needs it," Smith said. "We've got a couple of people banged up and things like that, so we just need to get some time to recover and get your body right. That's the main emphasis - recovery and getting your body right."
Said Jones: "We've never been in the position of playing six (SEC games) in a row like that. I think we did a good job, but now is the start of a new season."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.