Tennessee's most productive pass rusher, Tyree Weathersby, will miss the rest of the season after suffering a leg injury during Saturday's win over Kentucky.
"I hate it for Tyree," coach Josh Heupel told reporters Monday. "He's played extremely well. He's worked extremely hard, was playing his best football, and I know he'll bounce back from it. But obviously a huge bump in the road for him."
Weathersby, who has started all nine games this season, leads the team with seven sacks. He has 20 total tackles, including 8.5 for a loss.
The senior defensive end took home SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week honors after a win over Alabama earlier this season in which he had two sacks and a fumble recovery.
He also has three quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries on the season.
The Vols, which are 7-2 and ranked 13th in College Football Playoff rankings, go on the road to Texas A&M this Saturday.
With Weathersby out, defensive ends Jordan Norman and Mariyon Dye could see expanded roles.
"Those two guys, we got great trust and they've played extremely well," Heupel said. "There'll be some young guys that have to step up as well."
