TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Brandon Deaderick’s one tackle doesn’t quite tell the story of his impact on No. 4 Alabama in the Crimson Tide’s opening win over Virginia Tech.
The effect was much more dramatic considering the defensive end was playing just five days after being shot in the left arm during a robbery attempt.
“When you have a guy like Brandon Deaderick coming back and recovering as quick as he did, it gives you that extra energy boost in the fourth quarter and I think he was a big reason why we pulled away at the end of the game,” quarterback Greg McElroy said.
The bullet struck Deaderick’s forearm and caromed into his hip.
“I got an opportunity to do what I love (Saturday night) and I was healthy enough to do it,” he said after the game. “So I went out there and helped my teammates. I love my teammates. I’ve been with them for five years now, and we’ve bled together and sweat together all through the offseason program.”
first.
“I pulled (in) and I saw him come up from the side. I tried to get the car pulled over,” he said. “By the time I realized it was for real, the only thing I could do was go for the gun. Nothing goes through your mind. You react. That’s what you do.”
Team doctors cleared Deaderick to play. Coach Nick Saban talked to his parents and medical staff and even someone who was an expert on gunshots before deciding to put him in the game.
“I was in awe and amazement that he came back and practiced some on Wednesday, some on Thursday,” Saban said.
Now Deaderick has something else he must handle. He missed Tuesday’s practice because his grandmother died.
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NO WILDCAT? Heading into last weekend’s season opener at Washington, LSU coach Les Miles teased Tigers’ fans with talk of his intent to give dynamic freshman Russell Shepard a chance to run plays in the wildcat formation, or to possibly line up at receiver.
Russell’s teammates enhanced the hype by raving about his speed and elusiveness, with offensive lineman Ciron Black describing LSU’s version of the wildcat as “a killer” that was going to “gash a lot of people.”
“They’re not going to see it coming,” Black said.
The Huskies never saw it at all. Russell didn’t get on the field.
to keep the ball in the hands of more tested players.
“The plan was to get Russell Shepard in the game. That was a want of our staff,” Miles said. “But again, in tight quarters … we wanted to make sure we handled the ball with great efficiency and didn’t make mistakes, and I really didn’t think it was fair to put a true freshman in the game at that point on the road at Washington.”
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KING RETURNS: Caleb King, once touted as Georgia’s next great running back, could get some playing time this week against South Carolina after battling a hamstring problem throughout the preseason.
The sophomore didn’t play in the opening loss to Oklahoma State, but coach Mark Richt expects King to be on the field for at least a few snaps when the No. 21 Bulldogs (0-1) host South Carolina (1-0) in the SEC opener for both teams Saturday night.
“I don’t think there’s much doubt we’re going to play him, get him going and see how it goes with him,” Richt said. “We’ve got to monitor his reps. With any kind of pulled muscle, you might feel healthy enough to practice and even to go full speed. But if you go full speed too many times in a row, that’s when you get fatigued and you’re susceptible to having it pulled again.”
One caveat to Richt’s optimistic forecast: King was still wearing a green jersey at practice early in the week, the symbol of an injured player who can’t take part in contact drills.
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SEEING RED(SHIRT): So much for the quarterbacking battle between ballyhooed Kentucky freshmen Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski.
Coach Rich Brooks said at least one of the two players will be redshirted this season, and didn’t rule out sitting them both if necessary. Neither player saw the field in Kentucky’s 42-0 romp over Miami (Ohio) last Saturday, though backup quarterback Will Fidler and third-stringer Tyler Sargent managed to get in during garbage time.
If one is to play this year, it appears the favorite is Newton, who was Indiana’s Mr. Football last year after combining for 3,600 yards of total offense and 48 touchdowns. Brooks said Mossakowski could use a redshirt year to work on his arm strength and get adjusted to the college game.
Having both players sit is a luxury that seemed far fetched when they signed with the Wildcats in February. Following a year of sometimes shaky play from Mike Hartline, it appeared either Mossakowski or Newton could challenge for a starting job. Hartline seemed to put those fears to rest with his crisp performance against the RedHawks, when he threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
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AP Sports Writers Brett Martel in Baton Rouge, La.; Paul Newberry in Athens, Ga., and Will Graves in Kentucky contributed to this report.
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