The college football season was rocked by significant injuries in Week 1. What was especially painful and unfortunate about the injuries is that three of the biggest ones happened in one game, the game which gained more attention and carried more importance than any other on Labor Day weekend. Everyone is wondering how well Florida State and Alabama can respond to what just happened to them on Saturday night in Atlanta.
Deondre Francois, Florida State Seminoles
The top injury of the weekend without question, Francois represents a devastating loss for the Seminoles. It is true that Alabama’s defense wore him out and caused him to lose his focus in the second half of that game, but Alabama will make many defenses look bad. Francois gave the appearance of a quarterback who had become more polished in his mechanics. He started the Alabama game well before repeated hits and pressure got to him as the game moved along. He was going to be the anchor of the Florida State offense and a player who put up huge numbers. He learned a lot in his freshman season and was ready to destroy the ACC this year. Alabama would have sharpened his game for future contests, but now that won’t happen. It’s a massive blow to a national title contender.
Christian Miller, Alabama Crimson Tide
The starting linebacker for the Crimson Tide was lost for the season with an injury suffered against Florida State. The injury’s effects won’t be felt right away, because Alabama won’t be severely tested anytime soon. However, as the season works its way toward November and the Tide play the tougher teams in the SEC West such as LSU and Auburn, Miller’s absence could be felt. One thing to consider is that Alabama needs to avoid injuries deeper on its depth chart. If more players get hurt behind Miller, the team could be extremely thin in November, to the point that highly inexperienced players will have to play 15 to 20 snaps. That could be more than enough to leave Alabama shorthanded in a time of crisis. This is a slippery slope for Alabama.
Terrell Lewis, Alabama Crimson Tide
The linebacker who was part of Alabama’s regular linebacker rotation joined Miller as a season-long casualty. He is out for the whole season, and that immediately erodes the depth Nick Saban has established. It is true that Alabama’s level of depth is deeper than the level of depth possessed by every other team, but as said above with Miller, this injury matters because if additional injuries occur at linebacker, Alabama will begin to worry about its ability to adequately field a strong 11-man defensive unit.
Jacob Eason, Georgia Bulldogs
The ballyhooed quarterback was injured to the extent that he will not play in Saturday’s upcoming game against Notre Dame. Jake Fromm will replace Eason, after having filled in for Eason in Saturday’s season-opening win over Appalachian State. The key to this injury is that if Fromm plays well against Notre Dame, he will probably keep the job. Eason could be locked out of the starter’s spot due to his injury.
Nick Starkel, Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies suffered one of the worst losses of Week 1 as they blew a 44-10 second-half lead only to end up losing 45-44. One of the main reasons was that they lost starting quarterback Nick Starkel mid-game and that changed the momentum. The team was up 38-10 at that point and was dominated, but Kellen Mond came in and simply couldn’t protect the lead. What’s worse is that Starkel’s ankle injury requires surgery and it’s unclear if he’ll be back this season.
Tyrell Pigrome, Maryland Terrapins
The Terps pulled one of the biggest surprises of Week 1 when they went into to Texas and stunned the Longhorns as a 19-point underdog. Pigrome’s performance was one of the main reasons as he was 9-12 for 175 yards and he added 64 rushing yards as well. That wasn’t it for the Terps as they also lost Jesse Aniebonam for the season. He was their leading defensive end and pass rusher.
Click here to bet on the college football season right now. DSI has a full list of spreads, totals and props for every single game on the board. Get all of the latest lines that you need to get a piece of the action!
