Alabama walked into Neyland Stadium Saturday and ran away from Tennessee 48-17; however, the blowout win came at a huge loss.

Star receiver and returner Jaylen Waddle suffered a season-ending ankle injury on the opening kickoff of the game. Waddle, in obvious pain, immediately left the field and went to the locker room not being able to put weight on his leg at all.

Nick Saban told CBS at halftime that Waddle would be out for the rest of the year, which is a massive blow to Alabama’s offense. Yes, Alabama has great depth at receiver, but losing a dynamic playmaker like Waddle could show up in the SEC Championship or the College Football Playoff.

A photo emerged of Waddle celebrating with teammates in an ambulance after beating Tennessee; so, he looked in good spirits.

Following the win over the Vols, Saban discussed Waddle and the impact of his injury.

“It’s really a sad time for me, for Jaylen Waddle and his family,” Saban said. “He’s got a very similar injury to what Kenyan Drake had. It’s a high ankle sprain but also a fracture, so they’ll probably have to do surgery on him. We’re gonna fly him back privately with doctors and take him right to Birmingham and see what we have to do right away. But that’s the case — and we’re pretty certain that it is — that he would probably be out for the year.

“The guy’s a great player. He’s a great teammate. He’s an exciting player to watch. Hate that people in college football can’t see a great player the rest of this season.”

Kenyan Drake suffered a broken ankle in 2014 against Ole Miss and missed the remainder of the season.