Josiah Broxton, Evan Hampton out for season at Vanderbilt

Lea gave the full injury report in his first press conference after the bye, and here it is in one post.

Graham Baakko

@GrahamBaakko

Clark Lea said LB Josiah Broxton has a torn ACL and will be out for the season. RB Evan Hampton is out for the season with a broken bone in his leg. EDGE Brian Allen Jr.’s ankle has responded well. LB Jamison Curtis and CB Jaylin Lackey have returned to practice.

Start with Hampton, because everybody saw it happen. He was carted off in the first half of the 34-17 loss at Kentucky, and afterward Lea would only say Hampton was on a scooter and headed for X-rays. The X-rays found a fracture. Hampton hadn't done much on offense yet this season, but he was part of the return game, and he goes into the offseason without finishing the year.

Broxton hurts in a different way. The freshman linebacker was listed doubtful for the Kentucky trip, and now it's a torn ACL. His best moment came in the opener: an Austin Peay punt went 9 yards, hit him in the chest, and he took it in for a touchdown in the 28-9 win. He's a depth and special-teams guy for now, and his first college season ends 8 games in.

Aria Gerson

@aria_gerson

Josiah Broxton (torn ACL) and Evan Hampton (leg fracture) are out for the season, Clark Lea said

For a team that's 3-5, the timing is brutal. Vanderbilt won its first 3 against Austin Peay, Delaware and NC State. Since then it has lost to Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Kentucky. The injury list was already long before the bye. Defensive lineman Aaron Bryant tore his ACL back in the Delaware game, and offensive lineman Gunner Givens is done with a hip injury.

Here's the good news. EDGE Brian Allen Jr. sat out at Kentucky with an ankle injury, and Lea says it has responded well, so he could be back. Two players who haven't played a snap all season are also close: linebacker Jamison Curtis and cornerback Jaylin Lackey. Both have been out with soft-tissue injuries, and both are back at practice.

Aria Gerson

@aria_gerson

Jaylin Lackey and Jamison Curtis are on track to return + make their season debuts this week

If Curtis and Lackey do make their debuts, a thin linebacker room gets a body back for every one it just lost, and the secondary gets help too. Getting Allen back would matter even more for a pass rush that couldn't get home against Ole Miss and Kentucky. None of this replaces Broxton or Hampton, but it's more help than Vanderbilt has had in weeks.

Next up is a trip to Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 7, and that's probably the best shot left at a win. Alabama comes to Nashville after that, then it's at Florida and home against Tennessee. If the skid is going to end, it has to be in Starkville, and Lea will need every player he just got back to do it.