Tyler Bray Injury: QB's Absence Leaves Tennessee Short at Worst Possible Time

Tennessee will be without quarterback Tyler Bray for the next six weeks, putting the Volunteers in a bad way heading into the toughest stretch of their 2011 schedule.

Bray fractured the thumb on his right throwing hand during the fourth quarter of Tennessee's 20-12 loss to Georgia on Saturday. Matt Simms, the son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, came into the game in relief of Bray and completed 4-of-6 pass attempts for 39 yards with a rushing touchdown.

Bray's dinged digit leaves the Vols short-handed heading into a brutal three-game stretch, in which they will host No. 1 LSU, visit No. 2 Alabama and then return home to play No. 15 South Carolina on back-to-back-to-back weekends.

After a brief reprieve against Middle Tennessee State, the Vols will delve back into their SEC schedule with a trip to No. 10 Arkansas and a home game against in-state rival Vanderbilt.

Tennessee's chances of contending in the SEC East division were already slim after losing to Florida and Georgia and will essentially be whittled down to none if they can't pull out a miracle or two before the end of October and hold their own in November.

That isn't likely to happen so long as Bray has to sit out. The sensational sophomore was off to a sizzling start this season, with 14 touchdowns against just two interceptions coming into Week 6. Granted, those efforts weren't quite enough to lift the Vols past the Gators and the Bulldogs, but they were certainly encouraging for folks in Knoxville nonetheless.

The loss of Bray is just the latest setback for a Tennessee offense that's been reeling ever since losing wide receiver Justin Hunter to a season-ending injury in the Florida game two weeks ago.

As bad as things look—and boy, do they look bad with the Tigers and the Crimson Tide next up on the docket—things could actually be much worse for the Vols. Head coach Derek Dooley is lucky to have a backup as experienced as Simms to turn to in this time of crisis on Rocky Top.

Simms, a senior who began his collegiate career at Louisville, started eight games at Tennessee last season before yielding the balance of his time to Bray, albeit on account of poor play.

Simms held his own at LSU last season, playing a solid, if unspectacular, game in Baton Rouge to keep the Vols in it until the end in a 16-14 defeat.

As for 'Bama and South Carolina, Tennessee played the Tide tough to a 12-10 loss in 2009 and trounced the Gamecocks at Neyland Stadium that very same season.

If recent history is at all reliable, then the Vols may not have to brace themselves for certain doom just yet.

That said, the Vols shouldn't expect success so long as Bray is out of action. They'll need to rally around Simms in the meantime to avoid embarrassing themselves against the SEC's best, much less come away with any wins while Bray is away.