Saban: Duke offense 'very dangerous'

Alabama coach Nick Saban, in his weekly press conference today, did his best to sound a bit wary of Duke and Saturday's game against the Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Duke's offense, Saban said, is explosive. Blue Devils quarterback Sean Renfree, he noted, has been very effective.

"They scored 48 points on a team that has been ranked in the top 20 (defensively) the last five years in Wake Forest," Saban said. "They're a very dangerous team because of their ability to throw the ball and score points."

What Saban did not say was that Duke gave up 54 points to Wake in the loss on Saturday. He did not mention the top-ranked Crimson Tide -- who should have Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram (knee) back and available at tailback this week -- being made a 23-point favorite by oddsmakers expecting a one-sided game.

"Everybody we play is ready for us," Saban said. "It's our first road game. The challenge for our team is to focus and play the kind of football we want to play, and on a consistent basis, all the time. Everybody needs to elevate their games."

The Tide is coming off a methodical 24-3 win over Penn State at Tuscaloosa. Trent Richardson rushed for 144 yards while the Tide defense forced red-zone turnovers by the Nittany Lions.

"We need more consistency," Saban said. "We have not made special teams an advantage for us. We need to clean up some mental errors on defense. Our offense had some critical penalties."

Ingram missed the first two games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to get limited repetitions in practice this week.

"We'll evaluate how much he plays relative to how much he can practice," Saban said.


-- Chip Alexander