Saban offers midweek injury updates on Deontae Lawson, Jaylen Key
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama head coach Nick Saban provided midweek updates on injured starters Deontae Lawson (ankle) and Jaylen Key (quad) following Wednesday’s practice.
“They haven’t been able to practice yet, but it’s still kind of day-to-day,” said Saban after Day 3 of Kentucky game week. “If guys can’t practice on Thursday, it’s probably pretty tough for them to (play) in the game. So maybe we’ll know more tomorrow.”
Lawson was slow to get to his feet after Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels juked him near the Tide’s sideline. He was briefly on the bench before returning to the field before the end of the third quarter, but he limped to the locker room early in the fourth quarter. Lawson later emerged but was wearing a walking boot on his left foot while Jihaad Campbell and Trezmen Marshall finished the game. Marshall returned to action after dealing with bruised ribs.
Key was the first player to exit the field. In the first quarter, he stayed down and grabbed his left thigh before gingerly walking to the sideline with members of Alabama’s medical staff. After a visit to the medical tent on the home team’s sideline, Key walked to the locker room and didn’t return to the game, although he was seen on the sideline wearing street clothes.
Key was initially replaced at free safety by Kristian Story. But the Tide made some changes to its secondary in the second half, playing Terrion Arnold at Star, Trey Amos at left cornerback and Malachi Moore at free safety in its nickel defense. Should Key not play against Kentucky, we could again see Moore play safety and Amos be Alabama’s fifth defensive back.
“Trey’s one of those guys that he comes into work every day and he’s always asking me questions,” Moore said Monday. “He’s actually my locker mate. So when he first got here, we just kind of hit it off and just been talking to him and just making sure he has confidence in himself to go out there and play because he is a great player for us and he contributes a lot to what we do whenever he comes into the game.
“He’s just got to keep coming in, going to work and doing what he does every day.”
Alabama will play Kentucky on the road on Saturday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
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