Things are getting a bit nasty between the Arkansas Razorbacks and Alabama Crimson Tide.
Razorbacks special teams player Nathan Bax appeared to intentionally twist the ankle of Alabama return man DeVonta Smith at the end of a punt return. Smith immediately appealed to the referees, and definitely felt that the Arkansas player was trying to hurt him.
Arkansas’ Nathan Bax should be ejected. This is flat out pathetic. Intentionally trying to injure Devonta Smith…. pic.twitter.com/I1r53L5AmJ
— Simone Eli (@SimoneEli_TV) December 12, 2020
Arkansas player twisting DeVonta Smith's ankle after a punt return in the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/vq0NYTBSw5
— Patrick Greenfield (@PCGreenfield) December 12, 2020
It’s worth noting that Smith already had returned one punt for a touchdown in the game.
Alabama has big games ahead and has a great chance of heading to the College Football Playoff. Smith, meanwhile, is a Heisman contender. The last thing they need is any undue risk of injury, so they’ll likely be furious about this, and they look like they’d be quite justified in feeling that way.
There is actually some similarity to some questionable tackling we’ve seen in the NFL this season.
