Keelon Russell had an electrifying starting debut for Alabama on Saturday. His legs were a massive factor, breaking out of trouble in the pocket and making plays when nothing was there. It's that added dynamic that was a major reason Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb handed the keys to the offense to him instead of the more seasoned Austin Mack.
As dynamic as Russell looked in the open field with the ball in his hands, every Alabama fan who watched the game was screaming the same one word at the television throughout the afternoon:
Slide.
The sophomore QB took way too many unnecessary hits in the open field when he could have gotten down and avoided contact altogether. It's a long season, and if he keeps opening himself up to those types of hits, then he's not going to make it through the year healthy.
That's the exact message that Grubb sent to Russell in the media on Monday. And it's undoubtedly a conversation they've had face-to-face multiple times since Saturday's win over East Carolina, and it's a conversation they are going to continue to have going forward.
"We're working on sliding," Grubb said. “The off-platform stuff is an absolute blessing that he's able to do it. We just don't want it to have to keep happening at the wrong time… It's a long season. This is a competitive league, and if he runs around like that every week, it's going to be an even longer year for him.”
Keelon Russell has to learn how to protect himself going forward
Russell has to learn to bail on the play when there's nothing more to be gained. Some of the hits he took against East Carolina were completely unnecessary. He's too valuable to this team to take those shots when he doesn't have to.
There are moments and situations in the game where you may want him to fight for extra yards. There were none of those moments on Saturday against East Carolina in a game that was just never in doubt. You don't want to stifle the creativity or his ability to make plays in the open field, but you can't have him getting hurt out of foolishness, either.
You can bet that sliding is a major part of practice this week. Kentucky's defense is a bigger test than ECU's, and they'll have more dynamic athletes capable of tracking Russell down in the open field. He's got to take care of himself and take care of the football.
Avoiding injury is paramount to Alabama's success this season, but when you allow yourself to take those kinds of hits, you also open yourself up to potential turnovers that could ultimately cost the team dearly.
Alabama is going to have some tight games coming up. The first one could be this week in Lexington against a quality SEC opponent on the road. Taking care of the football is going to be vital to the Crimson Tide's success on offense.
Grubb sent the warning on Monday. DeBoer and QB coach Bryan Ellis have certainly spoken with him, too. Now it comes down to whether or not the message will fully take root.
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