While Auburn University's defense is ranked 83rd in the nation, conceding 418 yards per game, the Tigers have been bolstered with the return of defensive end Carl Lawson, who missed six games this season with injury but has recorded 12 tackles in the four games he has played. Lawson returned to action in a loss to Ole Miss before recording five tackles against Texas A&M.

"To me, Carl has always been a really good player," Saban said. "Very good rusher. The guy has some power to go with it, so you can't just take it for granted that he's going to run by you. I think he's a really, really good player. I think some of the plays he makes does impact and excite some of the other players on their defense."

Plagued by injuries for most of the season, Auburn's defense has shown little improvement from 2014 despite the addition of Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator.

"I think it's pretty evident that everywhere he's coached, his mark is on that group of players in terms of how they compete and how they play as well as the system and the soundness they play with," Saban said. "These guys play hard. They play with toughness. They get after it. That's sort of the trademark that Will takes wherever he goes with how he wants his players to play on defense.

"I think they've played better and better and better as the year has gone on and they've gotten healthier too, which has helped. I think they're playing some of their best football right now."

Since Lawson's return, Auburn's defense has improved to conceding 395 yards per game, but before film study and team meetings for the week, word of Lawson's skill hadn't trickled down to all of Alabama's offensive line.

"Honestly, I don't know who that is," center Ryan Kelly said when asked about stopping Lawson. "I don't play defense. I play offense."

Running back Kenyan Drake will return to individual drills after sustaining an arm injury against Mississippi State two weeks ago. Saban said Drake is considered "day-to-day." Right tackle Dominick Jackson and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick will return to practice after missing last Saturday's game with an ankle and knee injury, respectively.

Cornerback Cyrus Jones was named SEC co-Special Teams Player of the Week after scoring two punt return touchdowns against Charleston Southern, the second and third of his career.

Linebacker Reggie Ragland was named to a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, given annually to the top linebacker in the nation.

Kelly and Jake Coker were named offensive players of the week for Alabama by the coaching staff. Jones, Shaun Dion Hamilton and Dalvin Tomlinson were honored on defense, while Jones, Adam Griffith and Michael Nysewander made the special teams list.

Alabama's senior class hasn't forgotten how its last trip to Auburn ended.

"Any chance you get a chance to finish them, finish them off. It's in the back of my mind," Ragland said. "I know I remember being on the sideline, me and Landon (Collins) beside each other and just watching the guy run down the field. You just drop your helmet and just walk off the field in disbelief and you're sad.

"You look in the eyes of some of the seniors and you see them crying in the locker room and stuff like that. That hurts your feelings, knowing that you didn't do your job enough to get the win for them. So we gotta come out and we gotta do our job and gotta try to get this win."

While Ragland said the "Kick Six" is in the back of his mind, other players said they haven't thought much about the play since walking off the field in 2013.

"Me personally, I don't (think about it)," Jones said. "I don't really think about it that much. Of course, it kind of gets brought up and you start to think about it more around the time we're starting to prepare for Auburn. Obviously we know it happened, but it's in the past and I don't think that's going to be on our minds that much when we roll into Jordan-Hare (Stadium) on Saturday."