Former Alabama QB says what was ‘amazing’ about Keelon Russell’s first career start

Alabama football’s starting quarterback Keelon Russell made his first career start against East Carolina on Saturday.

Russell completed 18 of his 30 passes for 256 yards in the 48-10 win. He also rushed for 97 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. Former Alabama quarterback and ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy evaluated the first start for his alma mater’s new quarterback on “Always College Football.”

“Keelon Russell put up 342 in his first start, including…  250 through the air, second most by an Alabama quarterback making their first start in 60 years behind only Bryce Young, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy,” McElroy said. “So, here’s what’s amazing. The Alabama offensive line allowed a decent amount of pressure. They allowed 11 pressures in this game. And as a response to those pressures, Keelan Russell scrambled. And threw it on the run repeatedly, kept his eyes downfield on a few occasions, which led to some big plays. So that’s a freshman who had to overcome inconsistent offensive line play, and was very, very deliberate in getting the ball out and being good when the ball was in his hand.”

Russell told reporters after the game the Crimson Tide needed to be better at operating its offense.

“The biggest takeaway is just operational speed, in and out the huddle,” Russell said. “I’ve gotta be a little bit better on that. I’m gonna criticize myself on that just because I don’t look at myself as a freshman. I look at myself as a veteran. I wanna just thank the guys for just sticking in with me, not giving up on me. The linemen, they were phenomenal today. The receivers they were phenomenal today, and I could do better on myself on my behalf.”

Russell is set to make his second start against Kentucky on the road on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. for Alabama at Kentucky.