No. 6 Alabama looked to bounce back on Saturday after losing to Georgia a week ago as it headed to Neyland Stadium to play No. 14 Tennessee. But the Crimson Tide fell again, 26-10.
One reason Alabama lost was that its star wide receiver, Ryan Coleman-Williams, missed the game with an injury, and quarterback Keelon Russell responded interestingly.
“We play with the guys we play. I mean, we have tons of good guys. Ryan understands that. It’s next man up. So not playing with him. We play with the same guys at practice. You know, when Ryan’s not in on one play, all the other guys are in, so you know we are playing ball. It’s not like we are missing Jesus,” Russell said postgame, via Bama Central’s Theodore Fernandez.
Russell was missing Coleman-Williams vs. Tennessee; he only completed 19 of 29 passes for 147 yards and threw two interceptions.
Coleman-Williams is off to a great start this season, recording 23 receptions for 415 yards and four scores in six games. The team will miss that production for a few more weeks.
Coleman-Williams Had Undergone Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
ESPN’s Katie George reported before the game that Coleman-Williams underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a meniscus injury.
Alex Scarborough from ESPN said a timeline for Coleman-Williams’ return is unclear. However, a source told ESPN that he is considered week-to-week.
“While the timeline for his return is unclear, sources told ESPN that Coleman-Williams is considered week-to-week. Alabama will host Texas A&M next week and has the following week off before playing at LSU on Nov. 7,” Scarborough wrote on Saturday.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer said on Monday that Coleman-Williams has a few things going on that will keep him out for a few weeks.
“Has got a couple things going on,” DeBoer said. “Got to work through an injury with knee that’s been kind of going on. We’ll deal with that. Got the head issue, as well. Gonna address that, even the lower extremity there, this week. Pretty good chance we wouldn’t have him here this weekend. Probably be week-to-week after that.”
Alabama Has to Figure Things Out Quickly
The Crimson Tide has little time to figure things out, as one more loss could end any hopes of making the playoffs. Alabama returns home in Week 8 to take on Texas A&M, then heads into a bye week before traveling to Baton Rouge to face an LSU team that also has two losses.
It would be nice to see Coleman-Williams back for the LSU game, but if he’s not there, the Crimson Tide could leave Baton Rouge with a third loss.
Alabama’s Keelon Russell Offers Unexpected Take on Missing Ryan Coleman‑Williams vs. Tennessee