Omari Thomas injury sends Tennessee defensive lineman to locker room against Missouri
No. 5 Tennessee is trying to avoid a letdown against Missouri as it tries to bounce back from its first loss of the season one week ago. It’s doing so as injuries mount, with an Omari Thomas injury the latest to sideline a player during the game.
Thomas was injured on an early third-quarter series against the Tigers and headed toward the locker room with a team trainer.
“Big O, as we saw him go down, Omari Thomas for Tennessee, he is walking off the field,” CBS sideline reporter Sherree Burress said. “He is holding that right collarbone. Looks like he is holding that collarbone all the way. I did ask, in their tunnel, if he heads in all the way, that is the X-ray room. So I’ll keep you updated.”
Thomas had recorded one tackle in the game prior to exiting.
UPDATE: Thomas returned to action for Tennessee late in the third quarter after briefly heading to the locker room, according to Volquest on the On3 Network.
The Omari Thomas injury is not the only one affecting Tennessee on Saturday. The Volunteers are playing without star receiver Cedric Tillman, who is in street clothes on the sidelines, missing the game for undisclosed reasons.
Running back Jabari Small was also briefly shaken up during the game, having recorded eight carries for 51 yards and a touchdown.
Tennessee hoping Omari Thomas injury not serious, wants to clean up self-inflicted mistakes
One thing coach Josh Heupel noted at halftime was that he wanted to clean up some self-inflicted mistakes the team made during the first half.
“A couple of them for sure,” Heupel told Burress. “A lot of really good things, too. We’ve got to clean it up here and go compete second half.”
Quarterback Hendon Hooker finished the first half 17-of-24 passing for 229 yards and a touchdown. He also led Tennessee in rushing with six carries for 57 yards and a touchdown.
The Volunteers started off a touch slow but have kicked into gear as the game has progressed. Heupel wants to see his Tennessee teams continue to show good effort in the second half.
“Thirty more minutes of football, we get an opportunity to go play and compete and enjoy it,” Heupel said. “Let’s go fight.”
Tennessee led Missouri 35-24 with 8:30 remaining in the third quarter at the time of publication.