Alabama trio ruled out vs. Kentucky; Jermaine Burton dealing with illness
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Alabama head coach Nick Saban ruled out linebacker Deontae Lawson (ankle), safety Jaylen Key (quad) and wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks (shoulder) for Saturday’s game against Kentucky. He also said wide receiver Jermaine Burton may not play against the Wildcats due to an illness. All four were missing from the Crimson Tide’s warmups.
“We’re probably as nicked up as we’ve been all season,” said Saban said in his pregame talk with the Crimson Tide Sports Network. “We’ve got two starters missing on defense – Lawson and Key. Couple of receivers out. Burton is sick, might not be able to play in this game. Ja’Corey Brooks has a shoulder.
“This is as many guys, significant players, that we’ve had that haven’t been able to play in a game probably all year.”
Lawson, Key and Brooks all sustained their injuries in last week’s win over LSU and were not able to do much in practice this week, Saban said Thursday night. Last week, Jihaad Campbell and Trezmen Marshall filled in for Lawson when he exited the game, while Malachi Moore took Key’s spot at safety with Terrion Arnold playing Star and Trey Amos at cornerback.
Burton enters the Week 11 game as Crimson Tide’s leading receiver. Kendrick Law is listed as the second Z receiver behind Burton. Law has seen his role increase over the last few games. Alabama’s other starting wide receivers include Isaiah Bond (H) and Malik Benson (X).
Today’s Alabama-Kentucky game is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT and air on ESPN.
Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!
Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $1! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!
