Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to practice this week. He was not included on the injury report provided by coach Nick Saban at the beginning of his Monday press conference.
Tagovailoa wore a brace on his right knee against Missouri and left the game in the third quarter after sliding on a scramble and grabbing his knee. Saban said he could have gone back in the game but chose to play Jalen Hurts instead.
“(Tagovailoa is) probably better this week than he was last week,” Saban said. “We’ll see how he does in practice and continue to evaluate. As long as the medical staff clears him, we’ll keep working him to try to get him ready to play in the game.”
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith is day-to-day with a pulled hamstring. He’s the “most questionable” of Alabama’s injured players, Saban said.
“You never know how hamstring injuries are going to respond and how fast guys will be able to recover,” Saban said. “At his position, you probably have to be pretty full-speed to be able to play.
Saban met with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey after the game about defensive end Raekwon Davis, who was seen punching a Missouri offensive lineman during the game. Davis later apologized on Twitter.
“We will handle that internally,” Saban said. “We will have him do some things. I think it should affect his playing time in the future.”
