Tennessee Vols hit with a dose of bad news on the eve of huge matchup with Oklahoma Sooners
The Tennessee Vols will have to find a way to knock off the Oklahoma Sooners without a key player being on the field. According to ESPN's senior college football writer Pete Thamel, left tackle Lance Heard will not be able to go on Saturday night. Heard suffered what's been deemed as a leg injury in […]
The Tennessee Vols will have to find a way to knock off the Oklahoma Sooners without a key player being on the field.
According to ESPN's senior college football writer Pete Thamel, left tackle Lance Heard will not be able to go on Saturday night.
Heard suffered what's been deemed as a leg injury in the aftermath of the Vols' 51-10 win over the NC State Wolfpack. He was included among some players held out against Kent State last week for what Josh Heupel indicated was "for the longevity of the season".
As it turns it, it was indeed more than that. Heard had been listed as questionable on the Thursday availability report, which means that he was considered to have roughly a 50% chance of playing. That's since been updated to reflect him as out.
There's no denying it. That's a decent blow to the offense. A transfer from LSU this offseason, Heard has lived up to the hype so far this season. He's shown an impressive combination of size, power, and quickness for a player of his size.
Redshirt senior Dayne Davis will draw the start in his place. Davis, a 6'7", 333-pound senior out of Bluff City, Tennessee, is making his second straight start and his eighth career start. As such, the Vols will be able to turn to someone that's at least had some experience, especially working with QB Nico Iamaleava, whom he's worked to protect twice previously. Besides Kent State, Davis also started the Citrus Bowl at right tackle in Tennessee's 35-0 win over Iowa.
Tennessee and Oklahoma kick off at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday night at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.
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