There was a moment early in Saturday’s game between No. 2 Alabama and Tennessee when it appeared that all might be lost for the Crimson Tide offense.

Not even a single offensive play had been run, and Alabama superstar Jaylen Waddle was being helped off the field — placing no weight on his right leg — and eventually loaded onto the dreaded injury cart for evaluation in the aging relic hard off the Tennessee River.

Sixty minutes of football later, Alabama departed Neyland Stadium with a 48-17 victory and a fresh set of celebratory cigars in tow.

But they didn’t leave with Waddle.

The junior receiver had been whisked away to a nearby medical facility via ambulance with a broken ankle and then transported to Birmingham for surgery set for late Saturday night — an injury that is expected to put Waddle out for the remainder of the 2020 season.

“He’s out for the year,” coach Nick Saban told CBS at halftime. “And it’s a shame because the guy’s a great player. It’s exciting for college football to see a guy play like that.”

Waddle was injured returning the opening kickoff, taking the ball out from about 5 yards deep in the end zone and being taken down by Tennessee’s Kenneth George Jr. at the Alabama 15. It seemed like an ordinary tackle in real time, but on replay it was clear that Waddle’s right ankle was twisted severely under George’s body as the pair went to the turf.

“I hate it that he gets hurt on a play like that,” Saban said. “You’re not supposed to bring a ball out when you’re that deep in the end zone. But he’s a great player, so you’ve got to let him use his judgment.”

For many, if not most, college football programs, losing a potential top-10 NFL pick on the game’s opening contact would be an absolute game-changer. Waddle is an electrifying receiver who entered Saturday with 25 receptions for 557 yards and 4 touchdowns through four games and owns three of the top five longest scoring receptions in Alabama history.

Waddle is also an incredibly dangerous return specialist who has 3 career returns for touchdowns and owns the Crimson Tide career record with 19.3 yards per punt return — almost 6 yards better than second place.

But here’s the silver lining when one owns and has assembled a fully operational Death Star painted in crimson and white: Not only is the next guy up at Alabama pretty darned good, but so are all the players around him.

The next guy up in Waddle’s case would be Slade Bolden, a sophomore who until Saturday had touched the ball only 6 times — and not at all in 2020. Bolden calmly slid into Waddle’s spot to haul in 6 receptions for 94 yards.

If there were any other hiccups with the Crimson Tide offense without Waddle, it sure didn’t show against the Volunteers.

Running back Najee Harris continued to establish his NFL bona fides with 96 rushing yards, 61 receiving yards and 3 total touchdowns. Quarterback Mac Jones completed his first 11 pass attempts and finished 25-of-31 for 387 yards and a rushing score.

Not content with its role in strangling Tennessee in the fifth edition of Joyless Murderball 2020, Alabama’s defense also got into the scoring act — as Malachi Moore forced a fumble that he then returned 28 yards for a score.

Although Alabama sparked up cigars on the Vols for the 14th straight year, it goes without saying that losing Waddle  — who is No. 12 on ESPN analyst Mel Kiper’s Big Board of NFL Draft prospects — is a significant subtraction from what until Saturday was an equation headed full bore to the College Football Playoffs. DeVonta Smith is now the undisputed WR1 in Tuscaloosa, which means he will be working through more double-teams without Waddle to distract defenses.

John Metchie III, who has shown flashes of brilliance through Alabama’s first handful of games and led the Tide on Saturday with 151 receiving yards on 7 catches, will also need to step up. Bolden will likely be tasked as a WR3, with oft-limping tight end Miller Forristall also figuring into the mix more.

What the Crimson Tide doesn’t need any help with, of course, is the running game. Harris will make an NFL team quite happy once he stops embarrassing SEC defenses, and Brian Robinson Jr. serves as a capable change-of-pace back when Harris needs a series off.

And you still have Jones, who could end up fighting for Heisman Trophy votes within his own backfield before it is all said and done.

What looked like a game-changing injury and potentially a season-threatening loss ended up being a virtual non-factor Saturday. It is far too soon to tell just how much Waddle’s loss will mean to the long-term future of the Crimson Tide for the rest of 2020.

But Alabama’s fully operational Death Star kept firing its lasers at Tennessee without Waddle, and that is nothing but bad news for the rest of the conference.