T.J. Yeldon's workload limited in Crimson Tide practices

Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon has been limited in practice because of injury as the Crimson Tide prepares to take on Ohio State in one of the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon has been limited in practice because of injury as the Crimson Tide prepares to take on Ohio State in one of the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Alabama will wrap up its on-campus preparation for the Sugar Bowl today with a seventh consecutive practice.

It has been a week in which the Crimson Tide have gone back to fundamentals as well as getting familiar with Ohio State, their opponent in the national semifinal on New Year's night. It also has been a time in which junior tailback T.J. Yeldon received plenty of rest.

"It's a medical decision as far as what would be the best way for him to come back and be the most effective playing," coach Nick Saban said Saturday in a news conference. "That decision was to really limit what he does until we come back after Christmas. He's doing a lot of rehab and conditioning-type stuff that is not going to put a strain on the hamstring and some of the other injuries he's had."

Yeldon was a little more active in Sunday's practice in the limited portion that was open to the media.

The 6-foot-2, 221-pounder from Daphne injured his hamstring early in the season and then added a foot injury at Tennessee and a sprained ankle at LSU. Yeldon was held out of the 48-14 win over Western Carolina on Nov. 22 before rushing 19 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn and 14 times for 47 yards against Missouri.

With 932 yards overall on 184 carries, Yeldon is just 68 yards away from becoming the first back in Alabama history to amass three 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

"We're trying to use this extra time to get him healthy rather than staying on this treadmill of him really never getting better," Saban said.

Hocke to Georgia

Alabama co-associate strength coach Mark Hocke was named Sunday as the new director of strength and conditioning at Georgia.

"After a national search, we're excited to have Mark Hocke joining our staff as head of our strength and conditioning program," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said in a release. "It's an important position that is essential to the success of our program moving forward in the years to come."

Hocke, who replaces Joe Tereshinski Jr., has served the past six years under Alabama head strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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