It looks like the Vols dodged a massive bullet with Marlin Lane and Marquez North.
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said on Wednesday, during the weekly SEC coaches teleconference, that both injured players are expected to return to practice later today. Jones also said he expects both to be available for the Vols’ game against Kentucky on November 15. Tennessee is off this upcoming Saturday.
Lane suffered a leg injury in Tennessee’s win against South Carolina. He was unable to put any weight on his injured leg and had to carried back onto the field for the Vols’ celebration. The assumption was that Lane had possibly suffered a season-ending injury. The fact that he’ll be able to resume practicing on Wednesday is both surprising and HUGE for the Vols.
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Tennessee can’t afford to lose any depth at the running back position (starter Jalen Hurd is already playing way too many snaps). Especially with Devrin Young still sidelined.
As far as North goes, he suffered a shoulder injury on Saturday, which is why he was absent near the end of the game. As much as the Vols can’t afford to lose depth at running back, it would be even worse to lose depth at wide receiver. Tennessee is already down one of the best receivers with Josh Smith out. They definitely can’t afford to lose possibly their most talented receiver in Marquez North.
The bye week is coming at the perfect time for the Volunteers. They’ll use this week to get as healthy as possible. Tennessee needs to win two of their final three games to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010.