Hip injury sidelines Vols’ key leader

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee will try to recover from a devastating defeat without one of its emotional leaders.

Volunteers coach Butch Jones said Monday that senior defensive end/linebacker Curt Maggitt would miss “an extended period of time” after injuring his hip Saturday in a 31-24 overtime loss to No. 16 Oklahoma.

Maggitt, a fifth-year senior from West Palm Beach’s Dwyer High, had 14 tackles for loss and a team-high 11 sacks last season. The presence of Maggitt and Derek Barnett allowed Tennessee (1-1) to enter the season as the only FBS team that returned two double-digit sack producers from 2014.

“This young man means everything to us, not just from a character standpoint and a leadership standpoint, but his productivity,” Jones said.

Jones said the injury happened while Maggitt was working on a punt coverage unit guarding against a potential fake. Jones said Maggitt was trying to avoid an Oklahoma player when he hurt his hip. “It’s just a true freak injury,” Jones said. Maggitt missed the entire 2013 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in November 2012. When healthy, he has been one of Tennessee’s top players. He has seven overall tackles and three tackles for loss this season despite missing the majority of the Oklahoma game.