Is Hollywood Smothers playing today? Texas injury update ahead of Tennessee clash

Texas begins its SEC slate with a bang on Saturday afternoon, heading to Knoxville for a top-15 showdown against the undefeated Tennessee Volunteers. But while we know the Horns will have offensive stars like Arch Manning and Cam Coleman at their disposal, there’s significantly more uncertainty around top running back Hollywood Smothers.

Smothers had emerged as 1A in the Texas backfield early in the year, but he suffered a lower-body injury in last Saturday’s win over UTSA, putting his availability in doubt this weekend. The good news is that, per the latest from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Smothers tested the injury out on the field early Saturday morning and apparently feels healthy enough to suit up.

But while he’ll be technically available, we still don’t quite know just how available he’ll be — and what affect that might have on the Horns as they look to avoid the upset.

Texas RB Hollywood Smothers set to play vs. Tennessee — with one big catch

It’s no doubt great news that Smothers will be on the field on Saturday. He was a big play waiting to happen the last two years at NC State, and he emerged ahead of Raleek Brown as the starting running back at Texas this season, including 74 yards and two scores in the dramatic comeback win over Ohio State in Week 2.

But it’s fair to wonder just how much Smothers will be able to give against the Vols. Lower-body injuries are obviously nothing to sneeze at for a running back. And as recently as a couple of days ago, Smothers was listed as questionable on the Texas injury report, with insiders casting significant doubt about his availability.

Reports from around the Texas program suggest that Smothers wasn’t able to practice much this week. That’s not a make-or-break deal for a veteran, but it’s still not a great sign, and it seems likely that Smothers will at least cede some of his usual work to Brown and youngster Derrek Cooper. Again, Steve Sarkisian spent big to bring in both Smothers and Brown for a scenario just like this; Brown himself was a 1,000-yard rusher at Arizona State last season. But the Texas coaching staff seemed to favor Smothers in the early going, and he’s simply a more dynamic playmaker in the open field.

That could loom large in a game that might hinge on which offense is able to generate more explosive plays. Tennessee’s defense has been impressive so far, but they’ve played Furman, Kennesaw State and an offensively challenged Georgia Tech squad. This is still a largely untested unit, one that struggled for much of last season — particularly against the run. If Texas is limited on the ground, it could put even more pressure on Manning in what figures to be a very hostile environment.