Alabama sustained a massive blow to the offense on the opening kickoff of its game against Tennessee, as Jaylen Waddle was lost for the season with an injury to his right ankle.

Crimson Tide fans received another scare as one of their veteran offensive linemen, redshirt senior guard Deonte Brown, exited late in the 2nd quarter and remained out for the remainder of the contest against Tennessee.

Fortunately, according to head coach Nick Saban, the injury was nowhere near as bad as the one to Waddle.

“Deonte dinged his shoulder a little bit. I don’t think it’s anything that serious,” Saban said after the game. “But with the game being like it was, we were really looking for an opportunity to play some other guys at some other positions. They may have to play down the road anyway.”

Another player that sustained a minor injury was Brian Robinson, who also did not return as a precaution after getting “a little nicked up”.

“We just kept a couple guys out that we just didn’t want them to get any more banged up, and it gave some opportunity for some other guys to play,” said Saban.

One player that saw an opportunity against the Vols was Chris Owens, who played multiple positions on the offensive line.

“It was good for Chris to play center. Chris played tackle. It was good to get those guys some playing time,” Saban said.