In Ohio State's win over Indiana last week, for instance, both quarterbacks got banged up, shaping the rest of the game and at least in Ohio State's case, potentially the rest of the regular season. Some of the teams that will be the biggest factors in the CFP race are dealing with key pieces that are nursing bumps and bruises. Yes there are availability reports in college football for an increased level of transparency, but we've seen from LSU this year, to USC last year, there can certainly be chicanery risks when trusting what teams put out.
So we're taking our own stab at analyzing these players' status by degrees of panic. Scientifically, it's simple: Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer had little in the way of details after Alabama's loss to Tennessee. "We'll just work through it here this week.
I don't have much more than that," he told reporters when asked about Crowell and corner Zabien Brown's injuries. Crowell went down in the second quarter and did not return to the game, although he did come back to the sideline, and according to The Tuscaloosa News left Neyland Stadium late in the fourth quarter with a brace on his left knee. Alabama has struggled to run the ball conventionally.
What quarterback Keelon Russell can do to extend plays is tremendous, but the Tide will have to get better lining it up and running downhill if their College Football Playoff hopes are to be truly realized. Bama got game-scripted out of the run game by the fourth quarter of the Tennessee game, but until then, they had few answers with their non-Crowell running backs. Hoover was in visible discomfort late in the loss against Ohio State.
It seemed like every throw was followed with a camera shot of him looking like this: Josh Hoover in pain after he throws to stay in the game through it tuff respect pic.twitter.com/uSSnu7H0MN Hoover did say he got banged-up on a scramble, but it was "nothing really too bad," and he told reporters "I'm feeling good" after the game. He only sat out for one play and his performance didn't seem too affected by his discomfort. The Hoosiers will need Hoover at his best next week against a good Michigan defense, especially with what the Wolverines can do rushing the passer.
After the Mississippi State blowout Saturday, Kiffin said, "Our doctors held him, which obviously is the right thing to do." Umanmielen was out for the final three quarters of the game. Fellow Tigers defender TJ Dottery communicated that Umanmielen told him he was fine. Kiffin had no comment about Umanmielen's status when asked about it on Sunday.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
