Unfortunately for both the player and the program, the rumors swirling last night around the extent of the injury suffered by Henry Josey in Missouri’s win Saturday have turned into an official reality.
In a release, Missouri confirmed that the running back tore the patellar tendon in his left knee as well as sustaining tears to his ACL and MCL. Josey underwent the first of what could be multiple surgeries Sunday morning to repair the extensive damage, which occurred in the third quarter of the win over Texas.
While Mizzou’s team doctors are confident he will make a full recovery “in the end”, the timeline for his return is unknown at this point.
As an astute reader pointed out, the injury to Josey is similar to the one suffered by Willis McGahee. The Miami Hurricanes running back tore his ACL, MCL and PCL in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, and, despite being selected in that year’s draft, didn’t make his NFL debut until the 2004 season. Obviously, tearing the patellar tendon is a significant element that McGahee didn’t have to overcome in his extensive rehabilitation that Joesy will.
Using McGahee’s return to the field as a very rudimentary and unscientific baseline, it would appear Josey’s availability for all or even part of the 2012 season is very much in doubt, at least at this point in time.
Josey came into the game yesterday fifth in the country in rushing, averaging 127.7 yards per game, while his 8.6 yards per attempt were good for second behind Houston’sCharles Sims (8.8). Prior to the injury, the back had been held to 19 yards on 11 carries by the Longhorns.
Josey actually began the season as the Tigers’ No. 3 RB, totaling just 15 carries in the first two games. Inserted into the starting lineup in Game 3, however, Josey proceeded to rush for at least 132 yards in six of his seven starts before suffering the devastating injury in his eighth start of the year.