TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama football team appears to have made some strides in the injury department as it prepares for Saturday’s SEC Championship Game in Atlanta (4 p.m. ET, CBS).
Coach Nick Saban said during his press conference Wednesday evening that junior linebacker Denzel Devall (ankle) is the most questionable, although he’s been able to do more during practices.
True freshman Cam Robinson (shoulder, ankle) was taking snaps with the first unit during the observation period, with senior Austin Shepherd back at in his usual sport at right tackle.
Freshman wide receiver ArDarius Stewart and senior tight end Brian Vogler, who both sustained strained knee ligaments against Western Carolina two weeks ago, have also been able to practice.
“I’m not a doctor, he’s been able to practice, and he’s done a pretty good job in practice,” Saban said about Vogler. “That’s the only thing that we can evaluate it on.
“I think all these guys we’ll have to evaluate how they progress the rest of the week, how they respond to the activity that they’ve done. Some of them might even be decided before the game … as long as they don’t have a setback chances are they’ll be able to contribute in the game.
Saban also mentioned that sophomore kicker Adam Griffith (back) was able to kick off for the first time in two weeks on Wednesday. Punter JK Scott has filled in on kickoffs, but last week Griffith took over for replacement Gunnar Raborn after an extra-point attempt was blocked by Auburn.
“I’m ok with both of those guys when it comes to kickoff, they both do a good job with kickoff,” Saban said. “Adam is certainly a little more experienced at putting the ball in the right place. JK has really done a good job for us, so we don’t really have any issues with him doing it. I do think that Griff, because of range and accuracy, is definitely helpful, and also is quick, gets the ball up fast, so we really need him on field goals.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
