TUSCALOOSA, Ala.| Alabama hopes to have Damien Harris, ArDarius Stewart and Robert Foster back for Saturday’s game against Kentucky. All three players practiced this week, despite Harris (ankle) and Stewart (knee) being limited. Head coach Nick Saban provided updates on the trio, during his presser on Wednesday.
“Damien and Robert have both practiced and ArDarius has done some running,” Saban said. “I can’t really tell you who could or couldn’t play. These will all be right before the game decisions, relative to whether these guys will be ready to go or not.”
While both Harris and Stewart sustained injuries in games, Foster got banged up at practice. Stewart, a junior, was the Crimson Tide’s leading receiver going into the Ole Miss game. Harris suffered an ankle sprain in the first half against Kent State on last week. Saban likes pairing of Cam Sims, Gehrig Dieter and Trevon Diggs, and it may be the roation on Saturday. Sims had a career day, totaling four catches for 54 yards a week ago.
“We try to share the reps in terms of how guys are going to play,” Saban said. “Receiver is a position where you like to play multiple players. I was really impressed with Cam Sims, Trevon Diggs is making a lot of progress at the position, Dieter has played a lot of football for us and some other guys have gotten a chance to play.”
While Saban hopes to get Stewart and Foster back soon, he said both injuries caused Alabama to realize that it wasn’t as deep at receiver as it previously thought. As for Harris, Saturday is huge because he would get to face the SEC power of his own home state. If he cannot go this week, the Tide will have a rotation of Joshua Jacobs, Bo Scarbrough, B.J. Emmons and Derrick Gore.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
