Wednesday’s SEC player availability report confirmed that the No. 7 Texas Longhorns will be undermanned for Saturday’s crucial road tilt against the No. 18 Missouri Tigers in Columbia with two new players ruled out and five starters listed as questionable.
Senior running back Hollywood Smothers and sophomore tight end Nick Townsend joined senior left tackle Trevor Goosby and freshman edge Richard Wesley as the players listed out against the Tigers. Smothers left the win over Mississippi State, but Townsend wasn’t on any of the injury reports last week. He’s only played three snaps in each of the last two games after missing time earlier in the season because of a bone bruise on his knee.
The more significant news surrounds the players who are questionable — junior edge Colin Simmons, junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo, junior wide receiver Cam Coleman, sophomore cornerback Kade Phillips, and sophomore nickel back Graceson Littleton.
Simmons has missed the last two games after suffering a high ankle sprain in the loss to Florida. The other four players were unable to finish last weekend’s game against the Bulldogs as Coleman appeared to aggravate the shoulder injury he sustained the previous week and the other three starters suffered new, undisclosed injuries.
The injury situation for the Tigers looks much different with the return of star running back Ahmad Hardy with only three players listed on the availability report, all ruled out.
