Alabama head coach Nick Saban believes T.J. Yeldon will be able to suit up for the Crimson Tide in the game of the year against No. 1 Mississippi State on Saturday
T.J. Yeldon has been hampered by a sprained ankle but Alabama expects their team’s leading rusher to play when they host No. 1 Mississippi State on Saturday from Bryant-Denny Stadium in the game of the year in college football.
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Yeldon has been limited in practices after tweaking his ankle in the overtime win against LSU on Saturday when Alabama got a late field goal and a touchdown in overtime to prevail against their SEC west foes to stay in the SEC west race with the showdown against Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Nick Saban has been cautious with his leading rusher and doesn’t want to overwork him in practice with the hopes he will be able to get through all four quarters against Mississippi State.
"“I think he’ll be able to play in the game. How explosive he’ll be in the game remains to be seen,” Saban said, via AL.com. “The kind of injury he has is something you can play with but if he practices too much, it really aggravates him. We just try to practice him enough so he’s ready to play. He’s certainly had a great season for us.”"
Yeldon has rushed for a team-high 686 yards with five touchdowns this season as he approaches the all-time rushing record and has added 12 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. We could see more from No. 2 tailback Derrick Henry in this game if Yeldon is slowed or not as explosive as Saban cautioned against.
Henry has run for 554 yards and four touchdowns on 111 carries this year.
Alabama is a heavy favorite (9.5 points) despite playing the No. 1 team in the country, but could a banged up Yeldon be what Mississippi State needs to pull off the upset?
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