Four key Tennessee football players exited the Vols’ victory over UTSA last week due to an injury and didn’t return.
Receiver Bru McCoy and running back Jaylen Wright suffered injuries in the first half and did not return. Defensive end Dominic Bailey and receiver Ramel Keyton each suffered injuries in the third quarter and didn’t return.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel provided a positive injury update about all four Thursday morning while adding that their status for Saturday night’s SEC East showdown against South Carolina is uncertain.
“Really all the guys that you didn’t see at the end of last week have had a really good week,” Heupel said. “As always, (they’re) game time decisions but feel really good about all of them.”
It’s unclear what the injuries are though Keyton exited the game after his head hit the ground hard as he dove to catch a Milton deep ball in the third quarter. The unclarity of the injuries combined with the lopsided score against UTSA makes it hard to judge the severity of the injuries in comparison to Tennessee just playing things safe.
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All four injuries are to important players but particularly the three offensive starters. Wright has been Tennessee’s best offensive player to date, totaling a team-high 312 yards through four games this season.
Keyton and McCoy are Tennessee’s starting wide receivers. Keyton leads the team with 205 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns while McCoy is second on the team with 15 catches and 196 yards. If either Keyton or McCoy can’t play, transfer Dont’e Thornton and sophomores Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod will see increased roles.
“Feel good about Kaleb but feel good about Chas (Nimrod), you know what I mean?” Heupel said. “The young receivers are going to continue to get better. They’ve played important roles on special teams, have made plays. Kaleb was involved in a fake punt stop and picks up a touchdown a couple plays later (against UTSA) so feel good about all those guys and their continued development.”
Bailey is Tennessee’s backup strongside defensive end and has played no shortage of important snaps over the last three seasons. The Baltimore native has played 61 snaps over the course of the season, totaling five tackles to date.
Kickoff between South Carolina and Tennessee is at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night. Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic are on the call.
