Alabama Balancing Fun with Football in California Ahead of Rose Bowl

The Crimson Tide players are getting to experience a week of activities in Los Angeles while also preparing to face Michigan in the CFP.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — From the Happiest Place on Earth to the Granddaddy of them all, this week will be chock full of memorable places and moments for Alabama football. 

The No. 4 Crimson Tide is on a quest to win another national championship, and that journey resumes with a matchup against No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 as part of the College Football Playoff semifinals. But before the game in addition to usual game prep, the players get to experience a week of bowl fun in southern California. 

"At the beginning of the season we set short-term goals and long-term goals," Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe said Wednesday at Disneyland. "We’re now at the longterm goals that we all set in the offseason, the training, the little things like that. The biggest thing as a football team is to soak up the experience and enjoy where we’re at right now. But also know that we have a task at hand, and we have to take care of it.”

The team arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday and immediately held practice. Milroe said he was impressed with the focus of the team and really pleased with the way guys have been practicing in California so far. Alabama also held practice Wednesday morning before getting to spend the afternoon at Disneyland. 

There are other activities for pleasure sprinkled throughout the week leading up to the big game like the Lawry's Beef Bowl and Media Day. In general at bowl games, the players are also given some free time to explore the city they're in. Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner said this is the first time a lot of the guys on the team have been to LA or this far West in general. 

For senior captain Malachi Moore, there's definitely times for the players to have fun and enjoy themselves. He said he loves roller coasters and had been looking to the afternoon at Disneyland ever since the team got their Rose Bowl week schedule. But the defensive back also knows that the team has to focus on the task at hand with the matchup against the Wolverines. 

When the team's having fun, he wants them to have fun. But when it's time for practice or meetings, it's time to practice and lock in for meetings. Moore said sometimes it can be difficult for players to reign in their focus and attention with the distractions that bowl week can bring.

"But with this team, I think everybody knows what’s at stake," Moore said Wednesday. 

Turner shared that he feels like the team is peaking at the right time and the camaraderie is great among the team. Alabama head coach Nick Saban has now taken his team to the College Football Playoff eight times and multiple high-level bowl games on top of that as well. 

He knows what it takes for teams to have success this time of year. When asked if he has any concerns with how his players will spend their free time in a city like Los Angeles, Saban expressed full confidence in his team. 

"We always talk about making good choices and decisions," Saban said. "We always talk about making value for yourself and your future. If you’re making poor judgement and poor decisions off the field, it can contribute to that as much as anything you do. I trust our players to make their choices and decisions. I trust the fact that they’re all committed to trying to finish the season the right way. I have no reason to feel like that’s not happening.”

It starts at the top with the leaders like Milroe, Moore and Turner and trickles down through the rest of the team. The Crimson Tide is sure to enjoy some fun in the southern California sun this week while also locking in on the goal of beating Michigan

"The biggest thing as a football team with being in California is having a singular focus," Milroe said. "No matter what we’re doing, it’s all about preparing the right way, but also embracing what we have in front of us. We have a tough opponent in Michigan. We have to prepare the right way to be successful. We’re doing a good job at practice. We’re doing the right things. So now it’s just about building on the last day, which is today and preparing and getting better."

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Sources: Jase McClellan Full Participant at Practice Ahead of Rose Bowl