The Most Devastating College Football Player Losses This Season

This 2011 college football season has been exciting and tumultuous already.

There have been a number of teams this season that have been devastated by big injuries and suspensions to key players on their teams. Which teams can recover and which teams can’t still remains to be seen.

Here are some of the biggest personnel losses so far this season.

Knile Davis, Arkansas

Knile Davis averaged 6.5 yards per carry, rushed for 1,322 yards and scored 13 touchdowns against SEC defenses last season.

This season, he’ll accumulate a big goose egg in all of those statistical categories thanks to a left ankle injury he suffered before the start of the season.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 225 pound back was considered one of the best in the country, not to mention the SEC. Arkansas has looked decent without him—Ronnie Wingo Jr. has filled in nicely, rushing for 260 yards so far this season—until this past week against Alabama, when they rushed for just 17 yards.

Arkansas went to a BCS bowl game last year. It will be very tough to repeat that effort without Knile Davis.

G.J. Kinne, Tulsa

G.J. Kinne did play this past week against Boise State after suffering a knee injury against Oklahoma State the week before, but he was not himself.

Last season, Kinne accumulated over 4,000 yards passing and rushing the ball and, naturally, was the Golden Hurricanes’ leading rusher. This guy is such an athlete that he even punted 15 times for Tulsa in 2009 and 2010.

Against Boise State this past week, Kinne went 14 for 24 for 123 yards passing. His one touchdown and four interceptions were nothing to be encouraged about.

Tulsa may still have a guy named Kinne, but they’ve lost the guy they need him to be.

Johnny Thomas, Oklahoma State

Johnny Thomas, Oklahoma State’s senior safety, was ruled academically ineligible and suspended for the entire season earlier in the year. Last season, Thomas had 63 total tackles, two forced fumbles and three interceptions.

Thomas became a big part of the defense in Stillwater last season and an integral part of a very underrated secondary unit.

The Cowboys have replaced Thomas with sophomore Daytawion Lowe, who has had a good season so far with 30 tackles and two forced fumbles. However, they will miss Thomas’ experience, as Lowe has shown his immaturity by committing dumb penalties at inopportune times, one of which was what injured the aforementioned G.J. Kinne.

The only bright side here is that next year the Cowboys will likely have both Lowe and Thomas, as Thomas will be allowed to redshirt this year.

Junior Onyeali, Arizona State

As the Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year, Junior Onyeali had 6.5 sacks and 18 tackles in 2010. In the first defensive series of Arizona State’s Sept. 17  match up against Illinois, Onyeali tore the meniscus in his left knee.

The injury is expected to sideline him for at least six weeks and possibly the rest of the year.

ASU’s defense has been pretty good so far, giving up just 20.8 points per game. But with Onyeali, they could have been a top 15, maybe even top 10, defense. Without him they the explosiveness he brought to the table.

With Onyeali out for at least most of the year, it will be more difficult for the Sun Devils to win a Pac-12 East Division, that is theirs for the taking.

E.J. Manuel, Florida State

After suffering a shoulder injury against Oklahoma, E.J. Manuel did not play at all against Clemson this past week and it showed in Florida State’s 35-30 loss.

While backup Clint Trickett did fill in pretty well— with 336 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception—Manuel was clearly missed, particularly in the running game.

The Seminoles ran the ball just 15 times for 29 yards. Manuel has rushed for nearly three times that already this season in just a little over two contests.

FSU needs Manuel healthy if they plan on even hoping to reach the lofty goals they had in the preseason.