Utah running back Devontae Booker will be out the rest of the season for a torn meniscus.
The Utah Utes success in 2015 has been powered by the incredible legs of running back Devontae Booker. While their playoff hopes were officially squashed last week, the Utes were still on their way to an incredible finish and a better bowl game as a representative of the Pac-12 South.
Now the Utes have received some bad news, as they will be without running back Devontae Booker for the remainder of the regular season and potentially a bowl game, according to ESPN.
"Utah running back Devontae Booker will undergo surgery on a torn meniscus Thursday afternoon and will miss at least the remainder of the regular season, his father Ronnie Booker confirmed to ESPN."
His father confirmed that the injury isn’t a major one, but that they won’t be too aggressive in efforts to push him to return for the team’s bowl game. Instead it appears that Booker and his father, are eyeing a return at the Senior Bowl, which takes place at the end of January.
"Booker suffered the injury during Utah’s double-overtime loss at Arizona on Saturday. His father said he “tweaked his left knee” on a hard hit from the right side and suffered a bone bruise and “slight” tear of the meniscus. Ronnie Booker emphasized that the tear is not considered severe but that the healing process is estimated to last four to six weeks.This sidelines Booker for the remainder of the regular season and a potential Pac-12 championship game. His father told ESPN that a return for a January bowl game could be possible, but anything earlier would probably be too aggressive.“We were hoping that he may be able to play in the Senior Bowl, which is on Jan. 24,” Ronnie Booker said."
For the Utes this is a big blow as Booker was their guy that they could depend on to lead them and grind out the tough yards. Now without him, the Utes will have to look to go the rest of the way possibly without him if he can’t return this season.
If Utah does indeed make the Pac-12 Championship Game and potentially the Rose Bowl, it will make things on the team even tougher than they already are. Not only is Booker dynamic carrying the ball, but he is also one of the best in the nation at catching the ball out of the backfield.
The Utah Utes season in 2015 has been a massive success. It would be a shame for their season to bottom out at the end of the year because of injuries. However, for a future NFL prospect like Booker, being cautious about future health is just as important.