TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After tallying 17 penalties and allowing 52 points in the team's loss to Tennesee on Saturday, Alabama is returning to basics.

For Byron Young, that process starts in practice as he noted that players are harping on wearing the right color socks and tucking in their shirts as the Crimson Tide prepares to host No. 24 Mississippi State this week.

"It started before this week just trying to get everybody to do the little things just really started last year," Young said. "After we lost last year and I think that was one thing we got away from last year that led to us losing to Georgia. I think it's kinda been a continuous thing and getting everybody to do the little things. Kinda what we focus on all summer and it's still kinda what we're focusing on now.

"It's just making sure they know what the little things are cause some things, they could be so small you might not even think about it. But for me, it's something that I've been here for four years so now I know exactly what I'm looking for. I know exactly what everything is supposed to look like. It's something I just try to show them what it looks like."

While it remains to be seen if the right uniform apparel is the key to not allowing more than 560 yards of total offense, it's clear a reset is needed after three-consecutive games where the team showed mental lapses.

Whether it was penalties or lack of execution, Nick Saban has made comments about these lapses before. Two weeks before Alabama traveled to Knoxville, Saban asked two hypothetical questions: "Do you need to lose a game to learn?" and" Do you need to lose a game to get it right?"

Alabama had to lose a game last year to get back on the right path, falling to an unranked Texas A&M team on the road before righting the ship that sailed all the way to Indianapolis.

However, if the 2022 team wants to have the same success that five teams have had under Saban — lose a game during the regular season and then go on to win a national championship — the 16-year head coach noted it has to start in practice.

"I think we’ve gotta make players more accountable in practice for doing things correctly, paying attention to detail and doing the little things right," Saban said. "We can’t go hang ‘em up for doing this. They’re our players. We need to get them to understand what they need to do not to allow these things to happen and understand the consequences of what happens when you do it, and I think if you continue to do it consistently, maybe we need to play somebody else. There’s always a little fear that goes with respect and respecting what it takes to win. You also should know that, hey, my job could be in jeopardy if I don’t respect the things I need to do to win."

The Crimson Tide will face a familiar foe in Mississippi State, a team Alabama has faced four times after a loss, winning by a combined score of 141-33. However, the Bulldogs will present their own challenges in the form of another gunslinger at quarterback. Mississippi State's Will Rodgers is currently No. 3 in the country, tallying 2,234 passing yards through seven games.

Despite the explosive arm, Will Anderson said he's "very confident" going into this week's matchup.

"After the game on Saturday, I heard a lot of guys say ‘we know this feeling, we know how to bounce back.’ And a point of emphasis I made yesterday was ‘I heard a lot of guys after the game saying we know what this feel like, we know how to turn this around. But do we really know how to get through this?" Anderson said. "Do we know what it takes to fail? Are we willing to get over this hump?’ I think today, at workouts this morning, the guys had a lot of energy, they were enthusiastic, and I think we’re going in the right direction."