Tennessee got encouraging news on Wednesday night with one of its most important defensive pieces no longer listed on the SEC Injury Report ahead of Arkansas week.
Nickelback Qua Moss, who sat out the win over Auburn after suffering a concussion late in the loss to Texas, was absent from the report as the Vols began preparing for Saturday’s game. That’s a welcome sign for Tennessee, even if the week before showed why the report can still shift late. Moss was also missing from the Wednesday and Thursday injury reports last week before ultimately appearing on the Friday and Saturday versions.
When Moss has been available, Tennessee has leaned heavily on him at nickelback. Through four games, he has piled up 16 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass defended while handling the majority of snaps at the position.
His absence against Auburn pushed Michigan transfer Tevis Metcalf into a bigger role. Metcalf had already stepped in after Moss left the Texas game, then got the start against the Tigers and helped finish the job with a red zone interception to seal the win.
Moss also matters on special teams, where he serves as Tennessee’s primary punt returner. He already has one return touchdown this season, bringing back a second-half punt against Texas for 56 yards to keep the Vols in the game. With Moss out, Tennessee turned to running back Daune Morris in that role.
“That was a challenge to that unit here really the last couple of weeks,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said on The Mike Keith Show about Moss’ touchdown return. “Qua’s got great confidence back there. The more time on task, the number of reps he’s gotten, he has continued to grow in that way.”
Moss arrived at Tennessee this offseason after playing effectively at Kansas State in 2025. Before that, he was a standout at West Georgia in 2024 after starting his college career at Dodge City CC in 2023.
Tennessee and Arkansas are set for a 4:15 p.m. ET kickoff at Neyland Stadium on SEC Network. The Vols were listed as 13.5-point favorites Wednesday afternoon on FanDuel.
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