Alabama wide receiver leaves game with leg injury

The Alabama faithful held their collective breath as one of their top receivers left the SEC Championship Game with an injury.

Late in the second quarter, Tide wide receiver John Metchie suffered a non-contact injury in his left knee. While running a route, he turned back to face his quarterback, grabbed his left side, and went down.

He slowly walked off the field with the help of the Alabama staff. The wideout was seen squatting on the sideline with his helmet on shortly thereafter, but he was ruled out for the remainder of the game after halftime.

Metchie had six receptions, 97 yards and a touchdown catch on the day. He eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards on the season last week in a 24-22 four-overtime win over Auburn, entering Saturday’s game with 1,045. Metchie had four games this year with more than 100 receiving yards, and he likely would have had a fifth game over 100 had he not suffered the injury.

The junior wideout has a very interesting background. He was born in Taiwan and lived in both Ghana and Canada before moving to the United States for high school. He went to high school in Maryland and did a post-graduate year at the Peddie School in New Jersey before heading to Tuscaloosa.

Metchie won the 2020-2021 Jon Cornish Trophy, the award given to the best Canadian player in college football.

Alabama leads Georgia 24-17 at halftime behind quarterback Bryce Young. Young is shredding the nation’s top defense with 286 yards and three total touchdowns in the first half. Young set a first-half passing record previously held by former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.

The Crimson Tide are seeking their seventh College Football Playoff berth. The only year they did not make the CFP was 2019, a year which ended with a Citrus Bowl win.