Texas got a needed boost on the injury front Friday night, with starting running back Hollywood Smothers upgraded to probable for Saturday’s SEC opener at Tennessee.
Smothers, who is dealing with an ankle injury, had been listed as questionable on the previous two SEC player availability reports before moving up on Friday night’s report ahead of the 11 a.m. CT kickoff in Knoxville.
The top-ranked Longhorns enter at 3-0, while No. 14 Tennessee is also 3-0.
Smothers has been Texas’ leading rusher so far this season, piling up 198 yards on 41 carries with two touchdowns. If he’s able to go, Texas will have more flexibility in a backfield that already includes fifth-year senior Raleek Brown, freshman Derrek Cooper and second-year player Michael Terry III.
Brown, an Arizona State transfer, has totaled 129 yards on 31 carries with two touchdowns. Cooper has added 50 yards and a score on 13 carries, while Terry has 47 yards on 10 attempts. Tennessee’s run defense has allowed 138 rushing yards per game.
Cooper’s season has already had a couple of turns. He debuted against Texas State with two carries for six yards before leaving with an ankle injury, then came back in the Week 3 win over UTSA and responded with 44 yards and a rushing touchdown on 11 carries.
Texas still has several absences to manage. Sophomore tight end Nick Townsend remains out as he recovers from a knee injury suffered against Ohio State, which means more work again for Emaree Winston and Spencer Shannon. Both tight ends saw significant snaps against Ohio State and UTSA.
Sophomore defensive lineman Justus Terry is also out while recovering from a foot injury suffered in pre-game warmups against the Buckeyes. Defensive back Xavier Filsaime and offensive lineman Jordan Coleman are the other Longhorns listed out for the week.
Tennessee’s report includes five players out for Saturday, among them tight end Ethan Davis, wide receiver Joakim Dodson, linebacker Jaedon Harmon and defensive back Edrees Farooq, all of whom had previously been ruled out for the season. Running back Javin Gordon and defensive lineman Nathan Robinson remain questionable and could still be game-time decisions.
Friday’s update was the latest in a series of daily SEC availability reports, which are posted around 7:10 p.m. CT. The final report comes 90 minutes before kickoff on game day.
Texas availability report:
Out: DL Justus Terry, DB Xavier Filsaime, OL Jordan Coleman, TE Nick Townsend
Probable: RB Hollywood Smothers
Tennessee availability report:
Out: TE Ethan Davis, WR Joakim Dodson, LB Jaedon Harmon, DB Edrees Farooq, DB Dylan Lewis
Questionable: RB Javin Gordon, DL Nathan Robinson
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