Dealing with a lingering injury suffered a week ago, Alabama football tackle Elijah Pritchett sat on the bench for 53 and a half minutes of gametime against USF on Saturday night. Pritchett had been battling all offseason for the starting right tackle job with redshirt freshman Wilkin Formby.
Formby had seemingly held a slight edge for the job and was in line to start the opener against Western Kentucky at right tackle even before sophomore Kadyn Proctor’s injury in pre-game warmups. Pritchett stepped in at left tackle to replace Proctor. It was an uneven performance for Pritchett a week ago, and he suffered a minor injury that made him a limited participant in practice most of the week.
Because of his limited participation, and with Proctor’s availability in doubt most of the week, Alabama shuffled the deck on the offensive line. Tyler Booker kicked out and made his first career start at left tackle, with Washington transfer Geno VanDeMark sliding into Booker’s spot at left guard. Formby once again started at right tackle, and it looked like Pritchett was on track to sit the game entirely.
“He was ready to go,” said Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer. “He could have started the game. We were just trying to hold him as long as possible. Just try to keep him 100-percent healthy. He got through just fine tonight.”
With Formby struggling all night and Alabama holding just a 21-16 lead with 6:45 left on the game clock, DeBoer made the call to insert Pritchett at right tackle in Formby’s place. It’s possible the avalanche was coming no matter what, but it won’t be lost on the coaching staff that Pritchett entering the game was the catalyst.
Pritchett was on the field for three drives. Here’s how those three drives went:
3 plays, 75 yards, Touchdown
2 plays, 60 yards, Touchdown
1 play, 29 yards, Touchdown
Pritchett played seven snaps, with the Crimson Tide rolling up 164 yards of offense in those seven plays – 42% of Alabama’s offensive production for the whole game. Jalen Milroe hit Ryan Williams for a 43-yard touchdown on the first drive to provide the first breathing room ‘Bama had all game long. Jam Miller followed that up with a 56-yard touchdown run, and Justice Haynes finished USF off with a 19-yard touchdown run. Both touchdown scampers were to the right, too.
It was a frustrating night overall for the Crimson Tide’s offensive line, but Pritchett’s play in the fourth quarter should provide a glimmer of hope for the Alabama faithful. With Kadyn Proctor coming back soon, the Tide’s offensive line could soon enough become a major strength of the team, particularly if Pritchett can build off his performance in limited action on Saturday night.
