TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — You won’t hear Nick Saban say it, but Saturday should be a walk in the park for the Crimson Tide. After back-to-back road trips against ranked teams, No. 8 Alabama returns home to face Austin Peay this weekend.

Earlier this week, Saban spoke highly of the Governers, pointing out that they have one of the best defenses at the FCS level. However, even he knows that will be no match for an offense led by the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. The same goes for the other side of the ball as Alabama’s offense should have no problem holding Austin Peay well below its average of 35.1 points and 450.2 yards per game.

If everything goes to plan, Alabama should have the game well out of reach by early in the third quarter. That should allow several of the Crimson Tide’s younger stars to see the field for extended reps.

Here’s a look at a few players to keep an eye on for the future.

Alabama’s backup quarterbacks received extended reps during practice last month while Bryce Young was still recovering from his shoulder injury. However, Ty Simpson hasn’t seen the field during a game since the Week 4 win over Vanderbilt while Jalen Milroe has taken just six in-game snaps since his spot start against Texas A&M in Week 6.

Both Milroe and Simspon should be on display Saturday, previewing what should be a competitive quarterback battle this spring.

Milroe, a redshirt freshman, has started one game over six appearances this season, completing 60.4% of his passes for 274 yards and five touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback also has 246 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.

Milroe’s lone start came against Texas A&M while Young was sitting out with his injury. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns with an interception while adding 81 yards on 17 carries during the Crimson Tide’s 24-20 win over the Aggies.

Simpson has played in just three games, completing 2 of 3 passes for 15 yards. The true freshman came to the Crimson Tide as the No. 3 pro-style quarterback and No. 35 overall player in this year’s class.

Nick Saban spoke highly of Alabama’s freshmen receiving corps Wednesday, stating he is “very encouraged” by all six members of this year’s class.

Of that group, one player to watch Saturday is Kendrick Law. The 5-foot-11, 193-pound receiver has excelled on special teams, earning player of the week honors following the game against Texas A&M. Last week, that hard work led to a cameo with the first-team offense as he caught three passes for 26 yards during a third-quarter drive at Ole Miss.

“Kendrick Law has really come along,” Saban said following the game. “He’s a guy we really were hopeful would be a contributor. He pulled his hamstring several weeks ago, was out for a couple weeks, but now he’s back to full strength. He played really well on special teams a couple weeks. I thought he did a really good job, but he’s a guy we’ve been trying to get in the lineup now for some time.”

During his first year at Alabama, Jamarion Miller has found himself buried behind one of the nation’s deepest backfields. Still, the Tyler Texas native has made the most of his limited opportunities with the Crimson Tide.

Miller has played in all 10 games this season, primarily serving on special teams. During his time on offense, the 5-foot-10, 201-pound back has carried the ball 20 times for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Miller’s 7.3 yards per carry leads all Alabama backs. His 3.70 yards per carry after contact also leads the backfield, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Jamarion is a hard runner, he runs the ball very hard every day,” Alabama linebacker Jaylen Moody said. “He comes out and practices very hard. You can see the improvement each week in practice. He’s a really good one.”

Moving to the defensive side of the ball, Deontae Lawson is one of the biggest breakout candidates heading into next season. The redshirt freshman linebacker has started two games over eight appearances this season, tallying 35 tackles and three pass breakups.

Lawson is coming off one of his best performances of the year, recording six tackles and two pass deflections against Ole Miss last week. The Mobile, Ala., native should see plenty of action this weekend as well.

“Deontae has made tremendous improvement,” Moody said. “Being called on in the season, being ready whenever he’s called on. He’s been there every day, meeting with Coach, going over the game plan. Even in practice, you can see him doing his job in his run fits. I like the way he’s been improving, and I like the steps he’s been taking. I think the sky’s the limit for that guy.”

Entering the season, Amari Niblack was thought of as a potential early contributor. However, the freshman tight end has seen the field for just 43 total snaps over eight games this season.

Niblack’s only statistical contribution came against Louisiana-Monroe when he hauled in a 15-yard touchdown from Young. Still, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end brings elite athleticism to the position and should develop into a major weapon moving forward.

"He has a lot of speed and is a very knowledgeable guy,” tight end Cameron Latu said last month. “He picks up on a lot of things quicker than most. Once he gets it down, we'll get to see him a little bit more, but we love his speed, we love his game and he's a very strong guy actually for his size. He hasn't really worked the run game in high school, but he's learned really fast and he's gonna be a great player for us."