LOS ANGELES – Clay Helton knew the sound.
Helton was watching video of a game between Alabama and Florida from 2014 when he caught Lane Kiffin hurrying along the sideline to get the attention of quarterback Blake Sims.
The CBS broadcast picked up Kiffin’s whistle. He spotted a favorable matchup.
Once Kenyan Drake had been motioned out of the backfield toward the sideline, a linebacker followed the running back.
Florida, evidently, was in man coverage. Kiffin wanted to tweak the Crimson Tide’s first play.
Drake would run “sluggo,” a route that starts out as a slant before the player cuts up the sideline.