Tagovailoa injury scare a reminder Alabama's Plan B is pretty good, too
Alabama got quite a scare at the sight of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the ground clutching his right knee.
But Tagovailoa was able to trot off the field and apparently won’t miss a practice, much less Saturday’s game with Tennessee. But if the injury was more serious, top-ranked Alabama has 28-game starter and 2016 Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year Jalen Hurts in relief.
It’s a comforting notion.
“He led us to the national championship (game) two years in a row, shattered all kind of records, and his resume speaks for itself,” Alabama tailback Damien Harris said of Hurts. “There’s never any doubt in our minds when he has to go in and play quarterback or any other position. Jalen’s a pretty special talent, a guy that you only get to play with once in a lifetime.”
Tagovailoa aggravated a sprained right knee in the third quarter against Missouri Saturday night. He didn’t return but coach Nick Saban said he could have. The Heisman Trophy favorite didn’t miss practice leading up to that game and Saban said Monday he is “probably better this week than he was last week.”
More questionable is wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who pulled a hamstring on a long catch and didn’t return. Saban says he is “day to day.”
There’s no doubt Alabama’s offense isn’t the same without Tagovailoa, who’s leading the nation in passing efficiency and has thrown for 21 touchdowns without an interception.
But Alabama’s Plan B isn’t bad either. Hurts, who also caught a pass, has played a significant number of snaps in every game and finished off the 39-10 victory.
SEC fines LSU for fans storming field
The Southeastern Conference has fined fifthranked LSU $100,000 for fans rushing the field after the Tigers topped then-No. 2-ranked Georgia 36-16 over the weekend.
The league cited Saturday’s incident as a second violation of the SEC’s policy against fans on the field. The same thing occurred against Mississippi in 2014.
The SEC said fines collected against school for violating the competition-area policy are deposited in the league’s post-graduate scholarship fund.
The league said a third violation could lead to a fine of up to $250,000.
Ole Miss WR Metcalf out for season with neck injury
Mississippi receiver D.K. Metcalf is out for the season after suffering a neck injury against Arkansas.
Coach Matt Luke said on Monday that Metcalf was hurt early in the Arkansas game on Saturday, which Ole Miss won 37-33. Luke said the injury wasn’t initially thought to be serious, but tests revealed the damage.
Luke says that “longterm he’s going to be fine but I think it’s going to require surgery.”
The 6-foot-4, 230pound Metcalf currently ranks third in the Southeastern Conference with 569 yards receiving.
UConn LB hospitalized after stroke
UConn linebacker Eli Thomas has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke.
The school issued a statement Monday saying the 220-pound junior had the stroke Wednesday prior to a weightlifting session.
The school says Thomas was immediately transported to a hospital where he was stable and making “good progress toward recovery.”