Alabama wide receiver out for remainder of SEC Championship

Unfortunately, Alabama wideout John Metchie had his 2021 SEC Championship cut short on Saturday.

The junior receiver suffered a non-contact knee injury late in the second quarter, and CBS reporter Jamie Erdahl said Alabama head coach Nick Saban confirmed he is out for the remainder of the game.

Metchie walked out of the locker room after halftime with tears in his eyes and without his helmet. After the injury, Metchie briefly had his helmet back on on the sideline before heading to the locker room with the training staff. He was met with cheers of support from Alabama fans.

He had six receptions, 97 yards and a touchdown catch on the day. Metchie eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards on the season last week, entering Saturday’s game with 1,045. He 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.

Alabama leads Georgia 38-17 in the fourth quarter. The nation’s top defense has yet to come up with an answer for a high-powered Tide attack led by quarterback Bryce Young.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Young is 23-for-39 with 380 yards and three touchdowns. Jameson Williams is Alabama’s leading receiver once again with seven catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard score and a 55-yard score.

If Alabama hangs on, both teams will finish 12-1, and the reigning national champions will notch their 29th SEC title. Since Georgia had such a dominant regular season, it is likely the SEC will have two teams in the College Football Playoff. It would be Alabama’s seventh appearance in the postseason tournament; the only year they did not make it was 2019. Georgia’s sole appearance came in 2017, and they lost to Alabama in the national championship game.

The final CFP Rankings will be released Sunday at noon ET on ESPN.