Alabama is bracing to be without Ryan Coleman-Williams when it faces No. 14 Tennessee, and the junior receiver’s status sounds even murkier beyond that.
Coach Kalen DeBoer said Monday that Coleman-Williams is unlikely to play as he works through multiple injuries, including issues with his knee and head after the No. 6 Crimson Tide’s 20-17 loss to Georgia.
"[Coleman-Williams] has got a couple things going on," DeBoer said. "Got to work through an injury with the knee that's been kind of going on.
We'll deal with that. Got the head issue as well.
Gonna address that, even the lower extremity there, this week. Pretty good chance we wouldn't have him this weekend.
Probably be week-to-week after that."
Coleman-Williams was hit in the head and needed help getting off the field several times during Saturday’s loss to the Bulldogs. The last shot came from Georgia safety KJ Bolden in the fourth quarter, and Coleman-Williams did not return after that play. He had also been wearing a brace over his right knee in each of the past two games.
It’s a tough break for a player who had been giving Alabama a major lift this season. Coleman-Williams has 23 catches for 415 yards and four touchdowns, and he was already up to three receptions for 39 yards before leaving against Georgia. He also had a productive outing in last year’s matchup with Tennessee, finishing with five catches for 87 yards in Alabama’s 37-20 win.
If Coleman-Williams can’t go, Alabama may lean more heavily on a committee at receiver. Lotzeir Brooks and Rico Scott each have more than 18 catches and 200 receiving yards, and both have been part of the offense’s production through breakout quarterback Keelon Russell.
Before the Georgia loss, Alabama had scored at least 45 points in every game this season, including against now-ranked Kentucky and Mississippi State.
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Georgia Defense Just Sent A Clear Message In The Alabama Win
Georgias 20-17 win over Alabama looked like more than just another top-end SEC result. The Bulldogs defense spent the night making the Crimson Tide uncomfortable, and the bigger takeaway was how the group answered a challenge against an offense that had been piling up points all fall. Linebacker Chris Cole and safety Khalil Barnes pointed to the teams physical practice habits and sharp defensive focus as part of the reason Georgia was able to control so much of the game.
The real separation came after halftime, when Georgia tightened the screws and barely let Alabama breathe. The Bulldogs allowed only three points the rest of the way and shut out the Tide in the fourth quarter, which is the kind of finish that tends to travel well in this league. For Georgia, the win was important on the scoreboard, but the way the defense handled the second half may have said even more about where this unit is headed. [Read more 🡒]
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Auburn Just Lost A Star Defender Before Facing No. 1 Georgia
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Golesh said the suspension will be revisited after the game, leaving the door open for Atkins to return later in the season. For Georgia, it is one more development to monitor in a matchup that already carried major stakes, and for Auburn it raises the pressure on a unit that will need to absorb the absence of a centerpiece in the middle of the field. [Read more 🡒]