Alabama’s Keelon Russell stepped up to avoid pass rushers on third-and-19, kept his eyes downfield as he began to run and suddenly unloaded a 39-yard completion to Lotzeir Brooks.
asserted
he → step → Brooks
“He’s always looking for the big play,” Alabama receiver Rico Scott said.
asserted
Scott → look → play
“You just got to be ready.”
asserted
You → get → ?
Russell might have looked like a 19-year-old, first-year starter when he committed three turnovers at Kentucky in Week 2, but not on Saturday at Mississippi State, where he was surgical on third down and avoided turnovers entirely in a 56-23 victory for the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide.
uncertain
he → look → Tide
“He’s always had the ability to make plays and it was just a matter of him balancing that with taking care of the football and you just know that there’s a matter of growth process that he has to go through,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said.
asserted
DeBoer → have → that
“He can make people miss and he’s just doing a good job of how to move the chains when he needs to with his legs,” DeBoer added.
asserted
DeBoer → make → legs
”He always has kept his eyes downfield.”
asserted
He → keep → eyes
Russell completed six of his seven third-down passes for 146 yards, including connections of 50 yards to Brooks and 22 yards to Ryan Coleman-Williams.
asserted
Russell → complete → Williams
He also threw two of his three touchdown passes on third down.
asserted
He → throw → down
“He surprises a lot of people.
asserted
He → surprise → people
He seems to surprise us some times,” said Scott, who caught third-down, touchdown passes of 13 and 8 yards at Mississippi State..
asserted
who → seem → State
“It’s just hard to believe how fast he’s grown.”
asserted
he → ’ → ?
Russell’s already burgeoning Heisman Trophy credentials are bound to be further enhanced by his performance against the No. 16 Bulldogs.
asserted
credentials → burgeon → Bulldogs
He finished 16 of 22 (73%) for 285 yards and three TDs passing to go with a 17-yard scoring run.
asserted
He → finish → run
He was asked about his potential to win college football’s most coveted individual award after he emerged from the visitor’s locker room at Davis Wade Stadium, where he’d also faced down the din cause by cowbell-ringing fans with the poise of a more experienced player.
asserted
he → ask → player
But the dual-threat Russell sounded more interested in talking about his focus on learning how to play his position better.
asserted
Russell → sound → position
“A lot of people will say, ‘He’s a great athlete,’ or, ‘He’s a great player,’” Russell said of the comments he hears about himself.
asserted
he → say → himself
“Becoming more of a quarterback is what I kind of want to be faithful to and just growing there.”
asserted
I → become → what
As far as Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby was concerned, Russell already is playing his position at an “elite level.”
asserted
Russell → concern → level
“He’s really accurate, got great anticipation and you continue to see him make big plays with his feet,” Lebby said, calling Russell’s, 39-yard completion to Brooks a “backbreaking” play.
asserted
Lebby → ’ → Brooks
“We’ve got a little momentum back in the game.
asserted
We → get → game
He moves around, throws a shot and they pick up a huge first down,” Lebby recalled.
asserted
Lebby → move → down
“That’s what he can continue to do for them — a guy that’s playing really, really well for a guy so young.”
asserted
that → ’ → guy
Russell said he learned a lot from his mistakes against Kentucky, which Alabama still beat going away, 45-17 after trailing at halftime.
asserted
Alabama → say → halftime
DeBoer agreed.
asserted
DeBoer → agree → ?
“He’s trusting himself.
asserted
He → trust → himself
He’s got a good vibe with the skill group, throwing on time,” DeBoer said.
asserted
DeBoer → get → time
“He continues to take care of the football, making good decisions, run or pass, understanding how to convert and move the chains, knowing when the ball needs to get in the end zone.”
asserted
ball → continue → zone
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