Tennessee football DB Jalen McMurray limited by injury in Music City Bowl

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NASHVILLE – Tennessee football nickelback Jalen McMurray did not start against Illinois in the Music City Bowl because he's nursing an injury.

McMurray was limited in bowl practice. The Vols started three linebackers to compensate for McMurray's absence in the lineup. His backup, Boo Carter, was dismissed from the team during the regular season.

UT's defensive secondary was already depleted.

If McMurray cannot play, UT could slide William Wright from cornerback to nickelback. Wright, a sixth-year senior walk-on, made his first career start at cornerback. He replaced All-SEC cornerback Colton Hood, who opted out of the Music City Bowl to prepare for NFL draft workouts.

Freshmen Tre Poteat and Timothy Merritt will be in the primary cornerback rotation for the first time this season.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jalen McMurray: Tennessee football DB injury update vs Illinois

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