Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

One thing Alabama coach Nick Saban has always done is find a way to get his best talent on the field.

That said, don’t be surprised if the Crimson Tide’s linebacker combination takes on a little different look this Saturday against Ole Miss. Saban suggested earlier this week that some of the younger players may get a chance to play more.

And at linebacker, that would be true freshmen Nico Johnson and Tana Patrick. Both are candidates to play inside at the “Will” linebacker spot, which was manned by Dont’a Hightower before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

The Crimson Tide clearly missed Hightower last week in the 38-20 win over Kentucky. The Wildcats rushed for 133 yards, the first time anybody had rushed for more than 64 yards against the Tide this season.

Senior Cory Reamer was back at outside linebacker for the first part of practice earlier this week after starting at Hightower’s “Will” spot against the Wildcats, paving the way for either Johnson or Patrick to possibly play an expanded role against the Rebels.

"I do think we need to get more players involved on defense," Saban said. "I think we need to coach more players. We've got to get some young players ready to play, because they may get the opportunity to play. We're going to see a different type of team. This team is a two-back running team that does a lot of different things relative to formations and personnel utilization.

"We're going to have to play very physical and probably need to get our most physical players out there to play. I'm not sure what the best way to do that is right now. It's something that we'll evaluate this week."