Tide coach says Canadian Metchie III played final half of season with ankle aliment
Canadian John Metchie III had to overcome more than just the Ohio State Buckeyes defence on Monday night.
Metchie III had eight catches for 81 yards in top-ranked Alabama’s 52-24 win over Ohio State in the NCAA football championship game. Tide head coach Nick Saban said Tuesday that Metchie III, a sophomore receiver who grew up in Brampton, Ont., played through an ankle injury the entire second half of the season.
“It was very difficult for him to practise,” Saban said during a videoconference. “He actually didn’t practise one play for all the practices we had for this last game, other than walkthroughs and doing a little bit of individual (work) and then goes out and plays extremely well in the game.
“I think it shows a lot of competitive toughness on his part, a lot of grit, a lot of determination and a lot of mental toughness to be able to go through and do what he did.”