Colin Hitschler did not mince words when he addressed the size and scope of Alabama football’s upcoming meeting with LSU.
“Our back’s against the wall,” said Hitschler, Alabama’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
In the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee, the Crimson Tide’s back is indeed against the wall with losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee already on the resume, with three SEC games left on the regular-season schedule, two of which are on the road.
Alabama’s CFP hopes and dreams may very well lie in the outcome of Nov. 9’s prime-time matchup in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, against the two-loss Tigers.
But according to Hitschler, that space where Alabama dwells isn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“Every game is that way around here, though,” Hitschler said. “We got to win every game. Our expectation is to win every game, every play, one play at a time. Definitely a big-time environment, and these kids chose Alabama to play in big environments, so they’re excited.”
Outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson and the rest of the Alabama assistant coaching staff have the playbook on the mental and emotional approach for games like the Crimson Tide‘s upcoming bout with LSU. It’s following head coach Kalen DeBoer’s lead.
“I think it’s easier to sell what coach DeBoer says every day: It’s a 1-0 mentality,” Robinson said. “This is one of those games. Obviously, the way college football is and where it goes in terms of how you get the national championship, it starts with every game. And as we’ve seen this season, it’s a week-by-week microcosm: Can we focus on where we’re at?”
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him atcgay@gannett.com or follow him@_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
