Nick Saban: Deontae Lawson, Jaylen Key 'very questionable' for Alabama game vs. Kentucky
Deontae Lawson and Jaylen Key are both "very questionable" for Saturday's game against Kentucky, Alabama's Nick Saban said on his Thursday appearance on the "Hey Coach!" radio show on Thursday.
The two have not practiced this week after suffering injuries vs. LSU.
“They haven’t been able to practice much this week, so very questionable for this game,” Saban said. “Hopefully, we can get them back in the near future. So it’s going to be an opportunity for some other guys to step up on our team in this particular game.”
Key suffered a quad injury in the first half against the Tigers and was on the sideline in street clothes in the second half. Lawson exited in the second half with an ankle injury. He was seen in a walking boot leaving the field in sweatpants and a sweatshirt postgame.
More: Latest injury update on Deontae Lawson, Jaylen Key before Alabama football vs. Kentucky
“It’s going to be an opportunity for other guys to step up on our team,” Saban said of the injuries later on the show. “[Kentucky] uses a lot of condensed formations that change things a little bit for players. We really try to work hard to make all these looks available to these guys. We have to make sure we can execute and we have to communicate well.”
Lawson is second on the team with 52 total tackles. He also has 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks this year. Key has started all nine games for Alabama this year after transferring from UAB. He is just behind Lawson and third on the team with 46 total tackles, plus has one interception this season.
Kristian Story and Trezman Marshall replaced Key and Lawson, respectively, in Saturday's game vs. LSU, and will likely see increased playing time in their absence. Saban did not comment on whether he expects Key and Lawson to miss additional games after Saturday vs. Kentucky.
Alabama's remaining contests come against Chattanooga on Nov. 18 and the Iron Bowl vs. Auburn on Nov. 25.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Deontae Lawson, Jaylen Key injury updates: 'Questionable' vs. Kentucky
