After missing the past two games, Ole Miss could be get a defensive starter back for its biggest game of the 2013 season thus far.
Denzel Nkemdiche suffered a torn meniscus in the opener against Vanderbilt. After sitting out wins over Southeast Missouri State and Texas, the linebacker appears to be on track for a return against Alabama despite the fact that he hasn’t yet practiced since suffering the injury.
He is, though, practicing today, which will serve as a barometer for his availability Saturday against the top-ranked team in the country.
“The big question was: Would there be a lot of swelling in the knee? We were pleased that he did not have any and feel very good about it,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said. “He’ll go through practice (Wednesday), and we’ll check it again Thursday morning. If it looks Thursday morning like it did today, then he’ll be ready to go.”
Last season as a redshirt freshman, Nkemdiche led the Rebels in tackles and tackles for loss.