HawgBeat - Injury Report: McGlothern probable, key Bama DB questionable
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman provided injury updates to a handful of key starters ahead of the Alabama game.
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The Arkansas Razorbacks could be shorthanded on defense ahead of Saturday's showdown at No. 11 Alabama, but they do have a good shot at getting one key starter back from injury.
Head coach Sam Pittman provided updates on a handful of injured defensive starters on Wednesday and some of the news doesn't sound positive.
On the bright side, it seems like cornerback Dwight McGlothern will be able to get back on the field this weekend. He exited the Texas A&M game on Sept. 30 with a concussion that ended up holding him out of Saturday's loss to Ole Miss as well.
"I feel pretty good about (McGlothern) being able to go, and the rest of them probably still up in the air right now," Pittman said on the SEC Teleconference.
McGlothern didn't practice in either of the Monday or Tuesday media availabilities last week, but he was practicing both of those days this week and he ran with the first team defense in fastball starts on Tuesday.
McGlothern's 89.9 grade from Pro Football Focus is the highest of any cornerback in the nation this season.
Three other key defenders — Chris Paul Jr., Jaylon Braxton and Alfahiym Walcott — are all questionable at this time and Pittman didn't have an update on them.
"It’s still way too early to make a decision on the other fellas," Pittman said. "So I don’t know where we’ll be with those guys. Obviously, you have to practice to play well, so we will certainly take that into account as well as their health."
Paul exited the Ole Miss game with what initially looked like a pretty scary head/neck injury late in the second quarter. He tweeted Sunday that he is "all good" but he didn't practice on Monday or Tuesday.
As a redshirt sophomore, Paul ranks second on the team with 37 tackles this season and he also has 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
An emerging freshman corner, Braxton left the game in the third quarter with an unknown injury. Like Paul, he also didn't practice on Monday or Tuesday.
Braxton's Pro Football Focus grade of 71.7 is the second-highest of any Arkansas defensive back this season (Dwight McGlothern, 89.9). The four-star freshman has allowed just five catches on 13 targets for 60 yards and no touchdowns, while also tallying five pass deflections.
The third potential starter who could miss the Alabama game is safety Alfahiym Walcott, a transfer from Baylor. His injury is also unknown, and he also didn't practice the past two days. Walcott has played 223 snaps this season and he's totaled 28 tackles and one pass deflection.
Playing on the road at Alabama is tough enough, but not having three key defensive starters would really put Arkansas at a disadvantage. Although the Crimson Tide offense has struggled about as much as Arkansas', the defense of Alabama is one of the nation's best.
That group could be without senior defensive back Malachi Moore (ankle) on Saturday. Alabama could also be without redshirt junior punter James Burnip on Saturday.
"Malachi and James will both be game-time decisions, depending on the progress they make between now and then," head coach Nick Saban said on the SEC Teleconference. "We're preparing as if neither guy would be able to play, but I can't say that emphatically."
Moore has 29 total tackles, one interception and four tackles for loss at the STAR position on the year. Burnip's 48.7 yards per punt this year ranks third in the SEC, just above Arkansas' Max Fletcher (47.0).
Saturday's matchup is set for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
