Nick Saban explains decision to change punt returners vs. Chattanooga
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama made a change at punt returner on Saturday.
After Kool-Aid McKinstry fielded and then fumbled Chattanooga’s second punt of the afternoon, the junior was replaced by true freshman Caleb Downs late in the first quarter. Downs held onto the role for the remainder of the non-conference game, which saw him either return the punts, field them on fair catches or watch them roll into the end zone for touchbacks.
Nick Saban discussed his decision to make a change following the 66-10 win in the home finale.
“We’ve got confidence in him,” Saban said. “We’ve got confidence in (Isaiah Bond). I’ve got confidence in Kool-Aid, but he should have returned the first one and fair caught it. And then he shouldn’t have even fielded the second one and he fumbled it. Sometimes when you’re in that position, confidence is really, really important, and we’ve got to get his confidence back.”
Saturday marked the second game in a row that McKinstry has lost the football as a returner. In the win over UTC, at least, Alabama was able to recover the fumble, but it did lead to McKinstry being replaced. This coming a year after he finished second nationally with an average of 15.86 yards per return and picked up second-team All-America honors from the FWAA.
Downs made the most of his opportunity, however, as he fielded the ball when not inside the 10 and made one of the plays of the game. In the third quarter, Downs caught the UTC punt at his own 15 and maneuvered his way through the Mocs’ coverage team before breaking free for an 85-yard touchdown. The score gave Alabama a 52-10 lead with 4:59 left to play.
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“Caleb’s got confidence,” Saban said. “Obviously, he did a great job on the middle return he ran today. He made somebody miss and hit it up the shoot, and guys did a good job of fitting and finishing on their blocks. And he only had to beat the punter and did a good job of that.”
The touchdown marked Alabama’s first on a punt return since Brian Branch scored on a 68-yard return against ULM (Sept. 17, 2022) and was the Tide’s third non-offensive score this year.
Downs finished with 90 yards on two returns and was second on the UA defense in tackles with seven. His teammates praised the freshman after the win, including linebacker Jihaad Campbell who said “it’s never a shock” to see him make a big play, with or without the ball.
“He can make plays, man,” quarterback Jalen Milroe said. “I was watching it in slow motion, I like, ‘Oh, man. This man’s about to house this thing.’ And that’s exactly what he did. He’s really talented. He’s a really good safety for us. I’m just proud of his development and who he is.”
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