Alabama football came out of Lexington with a 45-17 win over Kentucky, and quarterback Keelon Russell reacted to his somewhat shaky outing on Saturday.
“I wasn’t feeling my best,” Russell said. “The game was going very slow for me. Started out very slow. So, I got to do better quarterback play going into next week, which I am. I desire to work hard this whole week to prep myself.”
Russell finished with 188 rushing yards, a passing touchdown, a pair of interceptions and a fumble, and he was the first Alabama quarterback to turn the ball over on the first two offensive drives of the game since Greg McElroy in 2009 against South Carolina.
The sophomore quarterback shared how he was able to overcome his early mistakes.
“The guys just believing in me,” Russell said. “I just want to thank the guys and the whole team. They just came up to me. Supportive. They told me, ‘It’s going to be a long game. We just got to come out there and be dominant in the second half.’ That’s what we did. I just want to thank the offense for sticking with me, not giving up on me, and just got to play better next week.”
After the early turnovers, Russell said that quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis and wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams comforted him, telling him to pick his head up.
Russell added that he thought offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb called “amazing plays” all day and that he and his teammates have to go out there and execute them.
Alabama football will host Florida State next Saturday. This game will be the third collegiate start for Russell.
