Kalen DeBoer’s debut with Alabama football filled with curveballs you didn’t see
Alabama football offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan certainly got his steps in Saturday.
Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth he went between the press box and the sideline. He had to as Western Kentucky’s headsets went on and off, on and off, on and off.
At Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday in the season opener, the Hilltoppers’ headsets didn’t work to start the game. By rule, the Crimson Tide had to turn its headsets off. With Sheridan calling plays and unable to communicate from the press box, he had to go down to the field.
But then Western Kentucky got its headsets working again. So Sheridan returned to the press box and settled in from there.
Another moment in the game, the headsets stopped working again. So, Alabama coaches had to stop using theirs. Again. Back to the sideline for Sheridan.
“I thought he handled it well,” running back Justice Haynes said. “Prepare for the unexpected. That’s what we always talk about. We didn’t think coming into the game that we were going to not have helmet communications. It happened. We adjusted. We were ready to go on the fly and do what we needed to do.”
That’s certainly true. Although Alabama faced those curveballs, they didn’t seem to slow the Crimson Tide down much. No. 5 Alabama went on to defeat Western Kentucky 63-0 in the season opener.
“I thought our staff did a great job because that’s not something you practice,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “In all my years, I never had it happen to where we had to put our headphones down because of someone else’s. Maybe it happens more often than I understand and should practice it, but that was a new one for me.”
That also meant linebacker Deontae Lawson had to keep switching helmets. He’s the Alabama defender designated as the “green dot,” which means he’s the player who can communicate with defensive coordinator Kane Wommack with in-helmet communications being allowed this season. But with Alabama unable to use its headsets, that meant Lawson couldn’t communicate with Wommack.
