The Birmingham Iron will be welcoming the undefeated Orlando Apollos to Legion Field on Saturday. While it’s being considered one of the top matchups that’s taken place since the American Alliance Football league got underway back in February, the Iron won’t be going in at full strength.
The team released an updated injury report on Friday evening that listed three players as out, including starting center J.C. Hassenauer (knee). In addition to the former Alabama offensive lineman, here are the other players who are certain to miss the game:
DB Trovon Reed (ankle)
WR Amba Etta-Tawo (knee)
Hassenauer isn’t the only former Tide lineman who could be out, too. There’s also a chance that starting left tackle Brandon Greene (knee) and starting right guard Korren Kirven (knee) could miss the Week 5 matchup as well. For your convenience, here are the remaining players who are still questionable:
WR L’Damian Washington (groin)
TE Wes Saxton Jr. (ankle)
WR Quinton Patton (ankle)
The good news is that every player that’s questionable was able to participate fully in practice on Thursday and Friday. If for some reason Greene and Kirven were forced to miss, it would be a massive blow to an offense that has struggled to find any sort of consistent success recently.
Another potential issue is the health of Wes Saxton Jr., the former NFL tight end who’s had stints with the New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. The former South Alabama star has stepped up recently with season-ending injuries to fellow tight ends Braedon Bowman and Busta Anderson. In four games, Saxton has six receptions for 79 yards (a 13.2-yard average).
The Iron needs as many hands on deck as possible going against the 4-0 Apollos, so the hope is that every questionable player will end up being a full go come kickoff.
Clint Lamb is a college football analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on Twitter @ClintRLamb.
