TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After going through a week of practice with No. 3 Alabama, Nick Saban alluded that Bryce Young's status is still uncertain ahead of the Crimson Tide's matchup with No. 6 Tennessee.

"Bryce has practiced some this week," Saban said on the Hey Coach Radio Show Thursday. "I think it comes down to does he feel and do we feel that we can throw the ball effectively enough and he's not going to hurt himself by doing it. I just don't know how much it will hurt him if he does it. He's done on a limited basis.

"Nobody's gonna know that until Saturday comes. He won't know it, I won't know it, nobody will know it and I know he wants to play and I know he thinks he can play. We'll see."

Young missed last week's matchup against Texas A&M due to an AC sprain in his right shoulder that he suffered against Arkansas on Oct. 1. After missing the second half against the Razorbacks, Young seemed to be a viable option against the Aggies, fully dressing out and wanted to come in late during Alabama's 24-20 win over Texas A&M.

"I didn't think that he was in a position that he could go and effectively do his job the way he's capable of doing it,” Saban said during Wednesday's SEC teleconference. “He's made a lot of progress from that point, and hopefully that will change in the near future."

Jalen Milroe filled in for the injured Young, who made his first start in a Crimson Tide uniform. The redshirt freshman accounted for 194 total yards and three touchdowns but committed three turnovers and struggled to move the ball consistently through the air.

Saban said he felt Milroe "played with a lot of anxiety" which contributed to the quarterback's inconsistent performance.

"Those things are all things that we definitely need to improve on so that we can utilize all 11 players on our offensive team," Saban said. "We have skill guys that can make plays. We've got to distribute the ball at the quarterback position so that they can. Whether it's a run or a pass or an RPO or an advantage throw, we've got to make the right choices and decisions on those things."

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said the team is preparing to face both quarterbacks on Saturday during the SEC Teleconference and on Thursday, he doubled down on the need to prepare for both Young and Milroe.

"(Their) skill sets are a little bit different," Hepeul said. "The thing about both of them is that they’re mobile. You’re gonna see some of the base offense with whoever’s playing. You have to prepare and have a plan for both of them anyways depending on how the game unfolds. For us, our defensive players (and) our coaching staff as well have been preparing for both."

This year's rendition of the "Third Saturday in October" is set for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff inside Neyland Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on CBS.