Keelon Russell didn’t just play through the injury question at Vanderbilt - he answered it.
The Alabama quarterback helped lead the Crimson Tide to a 21-6 road win over the Commodores on Saturday, shaking off a sluggish start and settling in as the game wore on. Alabama needed the second half to find its footing on offense, but once Russell got rolling in the third quarter, the Tide stacked three straight touchdowns and pulled away.
His availability had been in doubt right up until kickoff, but Russell made it clear after the game that he spent the week pushing to be ready.
“Just staying ready. I knew that from the start of the week I had to push myself and keep getting better,” Russell said. “That was the mindset this week, just keep going 1-0 each day, just doing what I got to do to play.”
When asked when he knew he would be able to start, Russell pointed back to the work he put in during the week.
“Since whenever. I was good enough to start.
It was just a matter of fact of how good I was going to be able to practice. But I knew for a fact if I just kept coming to the training room, I was going to be able to just be perfectly fine.”
Russell finished with 217 yards and three touchdowns in the win, looking healthy despite the uncertainty that surrounded him before the game. Alabama now turns its attention to Chattanooga at home next weekend.
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By game time, though, DeBoer said Russell had improved significantly, and Alabama stuck with the quarterback who gave them the best chance to settle in and execute. Mack was ready if needed, but Russell got the nod and rewarded that trust by steering the offense to a win with three passing touchdowns. [Read more 🡒]