Alabama will head into Saturday’s matchup at Tennessee without one of its top playmakers, and the Crimson Tide may be down two more key pieces as well.
Wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams had arthroscopic surgery to repair a meniscus injury in his knee and is expected to miss a “couple of weeks,” ABC’s Katie George reported Saturday. Coleman-Williams had already been ruled out for the game against the Volunteers, but George said during halftime of ABC’s broadcast of Texas-Florida that the absence could stretch beyond this week.
“We know that Ryan Coleman-Williams is unavailable (vs. Tennessee),” George said.
“He’s been dealing with a meniscus injury the past three weeks, playing through it, but ultimately (doctors) wanted to go in, get it cleaned up, so he had it scoped. We’re told that he’s doing well, but we’re not likely going to see him for the next couple of weeks.”
Coleman-Williams had been playing with a brace on his knee against Mississippi State and Georgia, though he left the Georgia game after an apparent concussion. He enters the weekend as Alabama’s leader in receptions with 23, receiving yards with 415 and touchdown catches with four.
George also said Alabama center Racin Delgatty will be out Saturday, with Mal Waldrep set to start at center. On the back end, cornerback Dijon Lee will not start against Tennessee. George said that decision stems partly from performance and partly from a late hit/personal foul against Georgia that helped the Bulldogs drain the clock in the fourth quarter in Tuscaloosa.
“He will play, but he’s not going to be a starter today, in part as a consequence because of his actions last week, but also because he has struggled in man coverage,” George said. “They need better execution in the back end.”
Carmelo O’Neal filled in for Lee at times in the Georgia game and would appear to be next in line to start against Tennessee. At receiver, Alabama will likely lean on some combination of Derek Meadows and Rico Scott to handle Coleman-Williams’ snaps.
George also updated Tennessee’s quarterback situation, confirming that sophomore George MacIntyre will make his second straight start. Faizon Brandon, who suffered a shoulder injury against Texas on Sept. 26, remains limited. Brandon opened the season as Tennessee’s starter for the first five games, then was pulled in the second half against Auburn on Oct. 3 because of injury and ineffectiveness before sitting out last week against Arkansas.
“Faizon Brandon is available, but he’s not 100% as he continues to deal with that shoulder injury he suffered against Texas,” George said. “Josh Heupel tells us he’s going to go with George MacIntyre. He’s been consistent in practice, gotten the most reps the last few weeks, so they feel good about him there and his accuracy.”
Kickoff for Alabama-Tennessee is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Central on ABC.
In Other News...
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Kalen DeBoer pointed to the same issue at halftime, when he said his team needed to stay composed and make better decisions. Thats the part Alabama will probably spend the most time sorting through after a loss like this, because the problems were not limited to one bad series or one breakdown. Against a Tennessee defense that kept forcing the issue, the Tide never found a clean offensive answer, and the frustration only mounted as the game slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Suddenly Has Two Crucial Injury Questions After Tennessee Loss
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Brown made it back to the sideline in the second half, offering at least a small sign of hope, but Crowell did not return and left with a knee brace. With Alabama already missing several key players and leaning on replacements throughout the game, the health of both Brown and Crowell could quickly become one of the biggest questions heading into the next stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Offense Has Created A Playoff Problem Fans Cant Ignore
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At 5-2, Alabama is still very much alive in the College Football Playoff conversation, but the path forward looks different now. The bigger concern is whether the offense can regain enough rhythm and consistency to keep the season from turning into a weekly referendum on how much the Tide can afford to slip again. [Read more 🡒]