TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Have you ever wondered how the University of Alabama offense can quickly line up for a play and relay the call from the sideline without tipping off the defense to what it is?

Or do so effectively when it goes uptempo?

The answer is the call being yelled out is coded and it’s not something that’s simple to break.

“You say one word and it means eight things,” senior right tackle Austin Shepherd explained.

“When we go with the fast pace, it’s more one or two word things that are just quick and you get up to the line and run the play. When we’re in the huddle, I wouldn’t say it’s a long drawn out call, but it’s seven or eight words instead of one or two.”

One of the things that new offensive coordinator Lake Kiffin immediately changed in the spring was the way plays are called — and this was before Nick Saban had decided to have him on the sideline during games. Junior wide receiver Amari Cooper called it a “more simple and player-friendly” approach both in philosophy and terminology, but the most important concept is to call the formation and then adjust to how the defense lines up.

For example, if the coverage is man-to-man, Cooper might run a hitch route. If the corner is in tight, the play could then be to instead run a fade. Everyone had to learn the full offense during the spring so they already have the adjustments down.

“There are sometimes where you might not hear something, where you have to ask the receiver or ask the line what’s going on,” senior tight end Brian Vogler said. “If one person gets it, you can relay it down the line.”

That obviously could be more of a factor next week when Alabama has its first true road game of the season when it visits Ole Miss on Oct. 4 (3:30 p.m., ET, CBS).

But even though there may be a pre-snap read from the center, the line has to get the final call from quarterback Blake Sims, which helps explain why there were so many what Nick Saban called “administrative” penalties against Florida last week – like false starts and illegal procedure.

They may also be why offensive line coach Mario Cristobal is giving junior-college transfer Dominic Jackson a look at right guard this week.

“It’s faster,” said senior guard Arie Kouandjio, who graded out the best among the offensive linemen against the Gators. “You have to run on the line faster. Other than that, we put a lot of time in learning our plays and going over our plays and putting a lot of reps into it. It makes me feel pretty confident going into the games.”

One thing Alabama won’t do, though, is use big signs with pictures on them to signal in plays from the sideline even though it’s pretty much the same concept.

“I hope not,” Vogler said. “It frustrates me so much, watching that stuff.”