The Thursday Notebook: Josh Ford's Broken Arm, the Play-Caller Carousel, and a New No. 1 in the FCS

LAS VEGAS — The toughest guy in college football this week isn't a linebacker. He's a 6-foot-6, 266-pound tight end from Alabama who broke his left forearm during Saturday's win, had hardware surgically implanted in the arm on Sunday, and was back at the team facility within 48 hours asking when he could practice. Josh Ford wants to play Georgia. And Kalen DeBoer isn't ruling it out.

The tight end who won't stay down

Ford broke the forearm mid-game during the Crimson Tide's 56-23 road win at Mississippi State — the kind of injury that usually ends with a 6-to-12-week timeline and a redshirt conversation. Instead, Ford had surgery Sunday and was back around the team almost immediately, trying to figure out whether he could suit up for the biggest game of the season. On Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference, DeBoer didn't hide how the staff feels about it: the junior is, in his words, “determined to get on the football field,” is “progressing along fairly well,” and the staff is “optimistic.” Ford landed on Wednesday's official SEC availability report as questionable — not out.

Here's why a tight end with one catch matters this much: since transferring from Oklahoma State, Ford has become Alabama's heavy-duty run-blocking anchor — the guy who sets the edge and the tone. The numbers are almost silly. Alabama averaged 101.4 rushing yards per game last season. This year: 186.4. That's the difference between a finesse offense and a team that can lean on the No. 2 team in the country for four quarters in Tuscaloosa.

The rest of Wednesday's report was mostly good news for the Tide. Starting right tackle Jayvin James, who missed time with a lower-body injury, wasn't listed at all — DeBoer said Monday he was optimistic James would be back. Out: linebackers Desmond Umeozulu, Justin Hill and Cayden Jones, defensive back Nick Sherman, and defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman (Beaman and Jones are done for the season). Questionable: Ford and five-star freshman defensive back Jorden Edmonds, who still hasn't played after a camp injury. Kickoff is Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

Two coaches ran out of answers

Sunday was a bad day to be a head coach. Tuskegee announced it had fired Aaron James, one day after a 30-28 loss to Morehouse in the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. The Golden Tigers are 2-3, and the loss was Morehouse's second straight in the rivalry — something the Maroon Tigers hadn't done in more than three decades. That's the kind of loss that ends tenures, and it did.

The cruel part is what James meant to the program. He quarterbacked Tuskegee from 1998 to 2001, going 42-5 as a starter with three SIAC championships and a 12-0 season in 2000 that ended with an HBCU national championship. He came home as offensive coordinator in 2022, took the head job in 2023, and went 7-4 in year one. Then 5-6. Then 4-7. Then the 2-3 start. The trajectory wrote the ending. Assistant head coach and offensive line coach Keith Higdon takes over as interim while the school runs a national search, and athletic director Reginald S. Ruffin thanked James for his “leadership, dedication, and service” while making clear the program wants a leader who understands “the tradition, expectations, and national significance of Tuskegee Football.”

Meanwhile in Tempe, Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham did the thing head coaches only do when they're scared: he gave the play sheet back. After a 55-19 embarrassment against Baylor on Saturday — in front of a sellout at Mountain America Stadium — Dillingham announced Tuesday that offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo is retaking play-calling duties. Dillingham had held the sheet himself since last December's Sun Bowl. His explanation was refreshingly honest: “I just want to be able to be a head coach again.” The Sun Devils are 2-2 and averaging just 21 points a game against real competition. Arroyo, for what it's worth, was a Broyles Award finalist in 2024 when he called the plays for a Big 12 title and a playoff quarterfinal against Texas. Hawaii visits Tempe on Saturday. Then comes the trip to No. 11 Texas Tech.

And it wasn't just those two. Fox Sports noted the play-caller carousel also hit Cal in Week 5, where head coach Tosh Lupoi stripped first-year offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville of the duties at halftime against UNLV and handed them to pass-game coordinator Pat McCann — backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau promptly sparked 24 second-half points in a near-comeback. Midseason play-calling changes used to be a panic move. Now they're just the weather.

The FCS has a new No. 1

For the first time all season, someone other than Montana State is the team to beat in the FCS. The Stats Perform Top 25, released Monday, has South Dakota State at No. 1 with 52 of 57 first-place votes, and the defending national champions tumbling to No. 6.

Montana State's 19-game winning streak died the cruelest way possible: up 34-20 in the fourth quarter at previously winless Idaho, the Bobcats watched the Vandals score a touchdown and a two-point conversion as the clock hit zeros. Final: 35-34. The Bobcats had held No. 1 since winning the national title in January. South Dakota State, meanwhile, keeps collecting receipts — a 31-14 win at then-No. 10 Illinois State was the Jackrabbits' second top-10 win of the season, and their only loss came against Big Ten member Northwestern. It's SDSU's 30th week at No. 1 since the middle of the 2022 season, but the first since October 2024. Montana climbed to No. 2, followed by Tarleton State, North Dakota and Lehigh. This weekend brings two ranked matchups worth your attention: No. 2 Montana at No. 13 Northern Arizona, and No. 3 Tarleton State at No. 9 Austin Peay.

The infirmary, Thursday edition

Wednesday's SEC availability reports brought a wave of updates beyond Tuscaloosa. At Ole Miss, star running back Kewan Lacy is listed as questionable for Saturday's trip to Vanderbilt (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) — but head coach Pete Golding said Wednesday he “fully anticipate[s] having him this week,” likely in a limited capacity. Lacy hasn't played since Week 3 with a shoulder injury; he ran for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, and the Rebels have missed him. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, expects starting quarterback Jared Curtis back — he's probable after missing the Georgia game.

Ohio State has a receiver problem at the worst time. Ahead of Saturday's homecoming game against Maryland, the Buckeyes list Brandon Inniss and Devin McCuin as questionable — the two most productive wideouts behind Jeremiah Smith through five games. McCuin (17 catches, 245 yards, 2 TDs) is coming off his best game as a Buckeye, all four targets caught for 80 yards and a score in the 31-14 win at Iowa. Inniss (10 catches, 147 yards, 1 TD) is the slot anchor. Losing both would put an enormous load on Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin's short game.

BYU's injury list is getting long at a terrible time. The 4-0, No. 8 Cougars have already ruled out star running back LJ Martin (344 yards, three touchdowns, 7.8 per carry), linebacker Isaiah Glasker and running back Sione Moa for Saturday's home game against Iowa State. Safety Raider Damuni is doubtful, top cornerback Cannon DeVries questionable. That's potentially two starting running backs and two key defenders down — with No. 3 Notre Dame visiting Provo in Week 7. Iowa State nearly toppled a ranked Iowa team earlier this year. This is not the week to be shorthanded.

And then there's the Saturday morning undercard with real stakes: Texas A&M at No. 14 Missouri (11 a.m. CT, ABC). The Aggies list star receiver Mario Craver as questionable again with the ankle injury that's nagged him for weeks, offensive lineman Blake Ivy is out, and receiver Terry Bussey is done for the season. Missouri counters with starting tackle Cayden Green questionable — and running back Ahmad Hardy still out as he continues recovering from an offseason gunshot wound. The Tigers are riding the high of the 45-17 demolition of Florida that snapped a nine-game losing streak against ranked teams. A&M bounced back against Arkansas last week. Somebody's October is about to get a lot more interesting.

One more from the Big 12: Kansas State lists quarterback Blake Barnett out and Dillon Duff questionable ahead of Saturday's home game against No. 19 Houston (2:30 p.m. CT). The Wildcats are 3-1, the Cougars 4-1, and the quarterback room in Manhattan is held together with hope.

Saturday, at a glance

The headliners need no introduction, but they deserve the framing. No. 2 Georgia (5-0) at No. 7 Alabama (5-0) is the season's first true playoff elimination game — the loser doesn't just take a loss, it takes a loss that the committee will stare at in December. No. 1 Texas (4-0), fresh off a bye, gets Oklahoma (2-2) in the Red River Rivalry at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC — the Longhorns' first real test of the season's second act. Elsewhere: Florida tries to wash off the Missouri loss against South Carolina at homecoming (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network), No. 14 Tennessee visits Arkansas (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network), and LSU takes its two-game win streak to Kentucky, which already owns an upset of Texas A&M and an overtime win over South Carolina. For the full Week 6 picture, catch up with yesterday's notebook and Monday's reset.