Alabama tight end Josh Ford is set to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury late in Saturday's road win over LSU.
The injury is another difficult setback for Ford, who had already worked his way back from an earlier arm injury this season. Earlier in the year, he broke his arm against Mississippi State, then returned to the field much sooner than many would have expected.
Ford said on Oct. 13 that he had surgery six days before the game, was already practicing on Wednesday and had regained 85 percent of his grip strength. He added that he truly believed the Lord was in the operating room with the doctors and said the decision to play was his own, not something Alabama forced on him.
That return mattered because Ford had become a useful piece for the Crimson Tide in both the passing game and the run game. The 6-foot-6, 266-pound tight end had five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns, and he also brought value as a blocker.
In the LSU game, Ford played 20 snaps, which showed how much Alabama was still willing to use him despite the earlier injury. Now, with the knee issue expected to end his season, Alabama loses a tight end who had been important in multiple ways.
Ford still has two years of eligibility remaining, so this is not the end of his college career. But for Alabama, the immediate outlook changes. The Crimson Tide will now have to move forward without one of its more versatile tight ends for the stretch run.
