We really should be happy about this, but just can’t summon the appropriate level of evil this a.m. to rejoice in the news because they’re both freak injuries robbing two young guys of their seasons, and therefore totally off limits to our mockery. Defensive tackle Justin Harrell and cornerback Inky Johnson, two Tennessee starters on defense, will both be out for the year following last Saturday’s game against Air Force.

Both injuries rank high on ick factor. Harrell ruptured his left biceps tendon, an injury requiring immediate surgery. If the thought of your bicep rolling up your arm like a windowshade doesn’t creep you out, here’s the Tennessean’s description of whatever the hell happened to Inky Johnson’s shoulder:

The injury to Johnson could be career threatening. He was still in the hospital on Sunday night and listed in stable condition after undergoing vascular surgery to repair torn blood vessels in his right shoulder area. Head trainer Jason McVeigh said Johnson would also require additional surgery to correct nerve damage.

Reminder: don’t fuck around with the service academy games. They’re real games, as Tennessee would be more than happy to tell you after winning only by defending a final two point conversion against them. If you haven’t read the game summary, do it now–Fisher DeBerry may be firmly into old coot territory, but they nearly disintegrated Tennessee’s comeback season in a single game.


Air Force ran right past Tennessee, even without a majority of “Afro-American” players.