Hollywood Smothers could be unavailable when No. 1 Texas visits No. 14 Tennessee on Saturday.
The Longhorns' leading rusher remains listed as questionable on the SEC's availability report with a lower-body injury. Smothers did not practice Wednesday or Thursday after first appearing on the injury report, leaving his status uncertain heading into the Top 15 matchup at Neyland Stadium.
The talented running back has quickly become a key part of Texas' offense since transferring from NC State. He leads the Longhorns with 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 41 carries. He also has a receiving touchdown this season.
His biggest impact came in Texas' Week 2 win over Ohio State. Smothers scored twice as the Longhorns rallied with 21 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Buckeyes.
Article Continues BelowIf Smothers cannot play, Texas has other options in the backfield. Raleek Brown has rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, while freshman Derrek Cooper could see a bigger role. Quarterback Arch Manning also gives Steve Sarkisian another option in the running game.
Texas received some better news elsewhere on the injury report. Edge rusher Colin Simmons was removed from the report after being listed as probable Wednesday.
Four Longhorns have been ruled out, however. Tight end Nick Townsend, defensive tackle Justus Terry, safety Xavier Filsaime and offensive lineman Jordan Coleman will not play against Tennessee.
With ESPN's College GameDay in Knoxville for the matchup, Texas will have to wait until Saturday's final availability report for a clearer answer on Smothers. His absence would leave the Longhorns without their top running back in their first SEC road game of the season.