One of the big questions regarding the upcoming Alabama v. Arkansas game is whether or not Arkansas wide receiver Marcus Monk will play. He went down with a knee injury in the first practice in pads for the Hogs, and at the time his return was set from four to six weeks. Basically, Alabama was going to be the big question mark game. If things went well, he would probably play, and if not, he probably wouldn't.
Well, according to an ESPN.com article today, Monk had to undergo a second knee operation to remove two pieces of cartilage that were trapped under the meniscus.
Arkansas team trainer Dean Weber told the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette:
Emphasis added.
The harsh truth is that he was a big question mark before, and the second operation will almost certainly mean that he doesn't suit up against us. Even if he does, I imagine he'll be far from 100 per cent.
You never want to see anyone get hurt, but Monk's absence will help us quite a bit. If we can just keep McFadden and Jones from running all over us, and I mean in a way that we haven't seen in years, we should be able to win this game with just some decent, and not good or great, production from the Crimson Tide offense.