When Alabama’s offense took the field against Utah State on Saturday, there was a notable omission from the offensive line.
Senior guard Emil Ekiyor was not in the starting lineup against the Aggies as the first team guards were Kendall Randolph and Javion Cohen. Ekiyor would eventually rotate in early on in the action, but it prompted a few questions as to why the veteran wasn’t starting on the field.
Following the game, Nick Saban clarified why Ekiyor started on the sidelines during his postgame press conference. Saban revealed that Ekiyor had missed five practices which led to him not starting against the Aggies.