We give the latest on injuries around the country in our weekly injury report.
Week 8 is here and this is the time of the season when games count a lot more as teams are vying for spots in their conference championships and/or bowl bids. Unfortunately, a few big names could miss this week due to injury. Let’s take a look at who is in and who is out for this week’s injury report.
Quarterbacks
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Tagovailoa Injured his knee last week against Missouri and had to exit. Fortunately, Nick Saban said he should play this week against Tennessee. Alabama does have a capable backup in Jalen Hurts if Tagovialoa is not able to go.
Khalil Tate, Arizona
Tate has dealt with an ankle injury this week. Kevin Sumlin has downgraded him to “out” for Saturday against UCLA. Sophomore Rhett Rodriquez, son of former Wildcat coach Rich Rodriquez will start in his place.
Ty Storey, Arkansas
Storey left last week’s game against Ole Miss after sustaining a concussion. The good news is he will be fine for this week against Tulsa. For a team whose season has not gone as expected, having their starting quarterback healthy is a plus.
Running Backs
JaTarvious Whitlow, Auburn
Whitlow suffered an upper-body injury last week in the upset loss to Tennessee. He is “questionable” for the Ole Miss game. While the Tiger have other backs, Whitlow has already contributed as a freshman this year. He leads the team in rushing yards with 456 and in rushing touchdowns with four.
Travon McMillian, Colorado
McMillian sustained a thigh injury last week in the loss to USC. Fortunately, it is not too severe and he should be good for Washington game. McMillian has received strong praise from coach Mike MacIntyre as one of the emerging weapons in this offense. Having him ready to go is a big boost.
D’Andre Swift, Georgia
Swift has dealt with a sprained ankle this week and also a groin injury all season. Despite these setbacks, Kirby Smart does not expect him to miss any playing time. Swift is second on the team in rushing yards and tied for first in rushing touchdowns, so having him available for rival Florida helps.
Wide Receivers
Laviska Shenault, Colorado
Shenault injured his toe in the loss to USC and coach MacIntyre does not know the severity of it yet. As of now, he is “questionable” for Washington. The sophomore receiver has already become one of the best in the Pac-12 and having him out there makes a difference for the Buffaloes.
DeVonta Smith, Alabama
Smith has dealt with a hamstring injury this week. Saban mentioned he is “questionable” for the Tennessee game and he plans to take it day-to-day. The hero of last year’s national championship win is the Tide’s biggest weapon in the passing game. If he can go, it will help this offense tremendously.
Dee Anderson, LSU
Anderson sat out last week’s game with an undisclosed injury. Orgeron said he is available for this Saturday against Mississippi State, but would not elaborate on his injury. He is the third-leading receiver on the team.
Tight Ends
Cole Herdman, Purdue
Herdman suffered a stinger last week against Illinois. He is “questionable” for this week, but not the only injured tight end. Brycen Hopkins has an undisclosed injury and could miss this week as well. Herdman will still likely play.
Ravian Pierce, Syracuse
Pierce returns this week for North Carolina after missing the last few games with an upper-body injury. Dino Babers would not elaborate on the injury but said he is ready to play. His return helps Syracuse a lot due to his size and the mismatches he creates in the red zone.
Dominick Wood-Anderson, Tennessee
Wood-Anderson left last week’s game due to an undisclosed injury according to Jeremy Pruitt. He says the tight end is day-to-day and “questionable” for this week against Alabama. Facing a tough Crimson Tide defense, the Volunteers need as much production on offense as they can get if they want to pull off two straight upsets.
Defensive Stars
Linebacker Jonathan Kongbo, Tennessee
Kongbo tore his ACL in the second half of last week’s win over Auburn. Pruitt confirmed he is done for the year in his weekly press conference. This is devastating for the defense as Kongbo had arguably his best game last week and is a rising star. Deandre Johnson, Jordan Allen and Austin Smith are expected to step up in his absence.
Defensive back Jordan Miller, Washington
Miller suffered a leg injury against Oregon in the second half last week and was forced to sit out. Chris Peterson says he is week to week but should play against Colorado this Saturday. Miller is one of the Huskies biggest defensive leaders and his presence makes a difference.
Defensive end Jonathon Cooper, Ohio State
Cooper sustained a concussion last week against Minnesota. Urban Meyer said he will be good for this Saturday against Purdue. This is good news for a defensive line still trying to shake the loss of Nick Bosa.