Tide’s Lawson emerging as defensive leader

By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Alex Boothe

Alabama head coach Nick Saban had an immediate point to make in his final press conference ahead of the season-opener vs. Middle Tennessee.

“Everyone wants to win, I mean you can ask any team in the country, do you want to be number one and everybody would raise their hand,” said Saban in his opening statement on Wednesday. “But are you willing to do what you have to to accomplish that?”

Saban went on to say how ‘the greats’ in any sport are internally motivated rather than externally motivated by factors like the score or the opponent.

The Crimson Tide is on the cusp of the new season, with new leaders in the locker room. Linebacker Deontae Lawson has emerged in that role for the Alabama defense.

“(Lawson’s) kind of taken over the signal caller duties, which I think is a huge responsibility and something that is probably the most important thing for the front seven in terms of alignment and adjustments,” Saban said. “A lot of guys are a little apprehensive in taking on that responsibility and he’s very confident in it and has done a great job.”

Alabama will open their season against Middle Tennessee on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.