Missouri running back Nate Noel is doubtful for the Tigers' road game against No. 15 Alabama with a foot injury, 247Sports reports. Noel leads the Tigers in rushing with 503 yards.
Noel suffered the injury on the first drive of Missouri's win against Auburn. He stayed in the game, but was ultimately pulled after six carries for 32 yards. In his stead, Missouri leaned on backups Marcus Carroll and Jamal Roberts. The duo combined for 60 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in the 21-17 victory. Noel previously missed the Tigers' win at UMass with back tightness.
Noel started his career at Appalachian State, where he was recruited by current Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz in 2019. After a successful career with the Mountaineers that included more than 3,000 rushing yards, he elected to play his senior year under his old coach at Missouri. Since joining the Tigers, Noel has posted 100-yard performances in wins over Boston College and Vanderbilt.
In relief of Noel, Missouri would count heavily on Carroll, a transfer from Georgia State. He has 66 carries for 321 yards and six touchdowns as a backup, including three scores against UMass.
Missouri's battle against Alabama is a key one as the Tigers try to keep their SEC Championship Game hopes alive. Mizzou is one of seven teams with one or fewer losses in conference play, but have a tiebreaker loss to Texas A&M. A second loss will likely push them out of both the SEC and College Football Playoff races.
Drinkwitz has not given an update on quarterback Brady Cook, who went out with an ankle injury against Auburn before miraculously returning to lead a game-winning drive. The SEC will post its weekly injury updates on Wednesday evening.
