Jimbo Fisher discusses injuries to Texas A&M defenders Walter Nolen, Edgerrin Cooper, Albert Regis
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher and his squad are, on top of dealing with a loss to Tennessee, are also now needing to get healthy. A trio of Texas A&M defenders left Saturday’s contest and did not return.
Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and defensive lineman Albert Regis both left the game in the first half with apparent injuries. Fellow defensive lineman Walter Nolen was hurt in the second half and eventually carted off the field.
At his postgame press conference, Fisher said he didn’t have any preliminary updates to offer on any of the three injured defenders, according to The Eagle’s Travis L. Brown.
Nolen was carted off in the fourth quarter
A play where Tennessee fans thought Nolen was just trying to slow down the pace, it turned out to be a serious injury.
Nolen went down holding his right leg and attempted to stand back up. He went straight back down to the ground and medical staff from both sidelines rushed out to him. You could tell Nolen was in a ton of pain as the CBS broadcast caught his emotion.
Eventually, the cart had to come out for Nolen, driving him off the field and into the locker room. A scary sight for everyone involved and a heartbreaking one for the player.
Nolen played high school football at Powell (TN) High School, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
For the Tennessee defensive line, Saturday was a celebration
Tennessee held on for a gritty, 20-13 win over Texas A&M on Saturday in Knoxville, keeping the Volunteers’ hopes to potentially have a say in the SEC title race alive. And after the game, head coach Josh Heupel heaped praise on his defensive line.
Tennessee only finished with two sacks, but had five tackles for loss and consistently created an uncomfortable pocket for Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson. On a day where the Tennessee offense didn’t muster oodles of points, the stout, havoc-causing performance from the defensive line was needed.
“You saw a great amount of heart from these guys all day long. Man, what an awesome atmosphere. This was a special performance. I think our fans played a part in the game, and I know our damn defense did. This D line wrecked shop all damn day,” Heupel said to CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell.
He lauded the growth of the entire defensive operation and defensive coordinator Tim Banks for the work that they’ve done in the two-plus seasons he’s been the head coach.
“Just continuing to grow from the time we’ve gotten here. Coach Banks, that defensive staff, guys that have been here, Tyler Baron, that entire crew stepping up. They were relentless. They played with great physicality all day long. Disrupted the run game, made the quarterback uncomfortable all day long.” Heupel said.