Alabama football's secondary has been dealt a big blow with an injury to starting safety Keon Sabb. The Michigan transfer was listed as a "game-time decision" heading into the Tennessee game, and he suffered another lower extremity injury in the game.
Sabb missed some time in the game, but fought through it and came back in. According to head coach Kalen DeBoer in his Monday press conference, Sabb will be "down a while."
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said on his radio show with former Auburn OL Cole Cubelic that Sabb broke his foot during the game but continued to play. DeBoer didn't go into details, but him saying Sabb will be out for a while leads credence into what McElroy said.
You have to appreciate Sabb's willingness to play through what had to be significant pain to try and help his team escape Knoxville with a win. With Sabb injured, sophomore Brayson Hubbard likely steps into his place. Hubbard saw his first extended playing time of the season against the Vols with a litany of injuries on the back end for the Crimson Tide.
The good news is that DeBoer mentioned that the rest the banged up defensive backs, including DeVonta Smith, Zabien Brown, and Red Morgan, should all progress enough throughout the week that they should be able to play on Saturday against Missouri.
The secondary is the Tide's youngest and thinnest unit on either side of the ball, so any injuries have the potential to be devastating.