Virginia’s chances of getting to a 5-7 or 6-6 season just took a major blow, as UVa’s official injury report released last night lists tailback Keith Payne as out for the BC game this weekend at Chesnut Hill. Due to what is described as a "lower extremity" injury, Payne will not be traveling with the team for Saturday.
Last week, Payne suffered a "lower leg" injury in the 42-23 loss to Maryland. As of Monday, head coach Mike London had said that he was "guarded but optimistic" that the fifth-year senior would be able to play against BC. It is unclear what developments came to surface during the week.
For those concerned about whether this is a cover up for some sort of off-the-field issue that Payne may be having, note that London had spoken highly of Payne on Wednesday’s ACC Football Coaches Teleconference, describing him as humble, "as opposed to the cocky kid coming from high school that was all everything." London also stated that he continues to meet the academic expectations he has set.
Without Payne, redshirt sophomore tailback Torrey Mack appears to be on deck, according to the team’s depth chart. Mack has carried the ball 11 times this season for a total of 34 yards.
Depth chart aside, it was fifth-year senior Raynard Horne who took most of the snaps last weekend after Payne and sophomore tailback Perry Jones went down. On the season, Horne has 118 yards on 27 carries.
Jones is not listed on the injury report, meaning he will be playing on Saturday.
Here is the full injury report for this week:
Out
OT Landon Bradley (lower extremity)
CB Ras-I Dowling (lower extremity)
TB Keith Payne (lower extremity)
WR Tim Smith (lower extremity)
TE Joe Torchia (upper extremity)
Questionable (50% chance)
CB Devin Wallace (upper extremity)
Probable (75% chance or greater)
OT Morgan Moses (lower extremity)
LB Ausar Walcott (upper extremity)