The injury was as gruesome as it looked and in the end, proved season-ending for freshman wide receiver Malcolm Lewis.
After reeling in a twelve-yard reception, late in the first quarter, on a 2nd-and-5 from the Georgia Tech sixteen, Lewis was brought down awkwardly. The result was a dislocated ankle, which left his foot twisted 180 degrees the wrong way.
Medical staff, as well as head coach Al Golden, rushed the field while players immediately dropped to a knee in prayer, seeing the severity of the injury.
Golden showed his true colors when dropping to a knee and cradling the shaken Lewis, who could see his foot twisted backwards. The second-year Miami coach held his freshman receiver and spoke to him as trainers re-set the foot.
Once Lewis was in good hands, Golden sprinted back to the rest of his team, had them take a knee and attempted to settle everyone down as Miami lead 12-0. Two plays later running back Mike James punched it in and the Canes took a 19-0 lead.
In the wake of the 42-36 comeback victory, which ended on the first possession of overtime, Golden announced Sunday that Lewis is out for the rest of the 2012 season and the hope is that he’ll earn a medical redshirt – which should meet the NCAA standard, only three full games in. He also let it be known that Lewis will require further medical treatment.
“It’s different than dislocating a finger,” Golden said. “It’s a situation where there’s probably a fracture involved when it’s dislocated like that. So it’s set. It’s in place. We’re trying to get the swelling out and ultimately, there’s going to have to be some procedure done.”
Golden reported that Lewis is in “great spirits”, but stated that actually seeing the result of the injury was tough on the freshman.