BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As officials looked over a potential Tennessee touchdown in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, Alabama running back Josh Jacobs was being examined by Crimson Tide trainers on the sideline. The prognosis was enough to send the sophomore to the locker room for the remainder of the game.
After further review, the 5-foot-10, 212-pound back is going to be just fine.
“He’s just got an ankle,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said before talking to the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham on Monday. “He’ll probably be in a boot for a few days, but he should be OK.”
Jacobs rushed for 47 yards on eight carries while also pulling in two catches for 24 yards against the Volunteers. Earlier this year, he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of both of Alabama’s preseason scrimmages as well as the first two games of the season. After being slowly eased back into the offense, Jacobs has rushed for 171 yards on 24 carries and has caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Leading up to last week’s game, Jacobs said he was the healthiest he has felt all season.
Jacobs’ status should come as a huge sigh of relief for Alabama as the sophomore has seen his workload increase in the Crimson Tide’s offense. Saturday, he was used in a pistol formation, lining up next to quarterback Jalen Hurts with fellow running back Bo Scarbrough behind him. Jacobs made one of his biggest plays of the game out of that package, as Hurts faked a handoff to Scarbrough before rolling to his right to find Jacobs in the flats for a 21-yard pass play.
“I think when you’re in the pistol, a lot of people when you’re in the [shotgun] they sort of set the front and their stunts relative to where the back is,” Saban said. “I think when you are in the pistol formation and the back is behind the quarterback, that’s not possible to do. So the defense kind of declares itself and then we can try to get ourselves in the best play because you can run equally in each direction.”
Saban also gave an update on injured starting defensive end Da’Shawn Hand who has missed the past three games after suffering an MCL injury against Ole Miss in Week 5.
“Da’Shawn will be working out all week,” Saban said. “We do expect him to be able to practice and see how it goes to see if he’s ready to play in the next game.”
No. 1 Alabama (8-0, 5-0 in the SEC) will have a bye this week before hosting No. 23 LSU (6-2, 3-1) on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on CBS.
