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Mizzou was already going to be up against it on Saturday when it faced an angry Alabama team in Tuscaloosa.
Now, the struggling 21st-ranked Tigers are apparently going to be without leading rusher Nate Noel. Sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Noel has a foot injury, is not expected to practice this week and will be re-evaluated next week when Missouri has a bye.
Sources: Missouri leading rusher Nate Noel (foot) will miss game at No. 15 Alabama on Saturday. He’s No. 21 Missouri’s most productive tailback with 503 yards and an average of 5.9 yards per carry. pic.twitter.com/EaPW1zR05f
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 23, 2024
The transfer from Appalachian State has been the Tigers’ most productive tailback in 2024, leading the team with 503 yards rushing. He’s averaging a robust 5.9 yards per carry.
Noel left last week’s game against Auburn in the 1st half with the foot injury, and he was unlikely to return. But the senior from Miami did come back and had 1 carry for 6 yards in the 2nd half. Noel finished the game with 6 carries for 32 yards.
Noel’s absence will cast an additional spotlight on senior Marcus Carroll, a Georgia State transfer who has run for 321 yards and 6 touchdowns this season.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Tigers are given just a 17.5% chance to pull the upset against the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide, who were No. 1 in the AP Poll just 3 weeks ago but have since lost 2 of their past 3 games. Not having Noel in the fold will make getting out of T-Town with a win that much harder.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
