On the first day of the fall semester at Alabama, the No. 2 team in the nation practiced inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility.

With the Crimson Tide’s season opener against Duke nearing, head coach Nick Saban arranged for his team’s preparations to continue on the synthetic turf it will see at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Here are some observations from the limited access period provided to the media:

— Freshman inside linebacker Christian Harris appeared to be limited and not participating in individual drills. He was wearing a brace on his left knee.

— With Harris not participating, Shane Lee lined up next to Dylan Moses in a base alignment. They were sandwiched between outside linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis.

— Offensive line coach Kyle Flood continued to mix up the combinations within the blocking front. The first team, during one period, was Alex Leatherwood at left tackle, Evan Neal at left guard, Chris Owens at center, Landon Dickerson at right guard and Jedrick Wills Jr. at right tackle. The second unit was comprised of Tanner Bowles at left tackle, Pierce Quick at left guard, Emil Ekiyor at center, Matt Womack at right guard and Tommy Brown at right tackle.

— Receiver DeVonta Smith had a protective sleeve on his right knee and appeared to be limping slightly after going through a drill.

— Freshman defensive lineman Antonio Alfano was not spotted for the third consecutive day. Stephon Wynn (ankle) was also not present.

— Punter Mike Bernier, who appeared in the last eight games last season, was seen for the first time since fall camp began. He was in shorts.

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin