Cincinnati defensive lineman Josh Hough suffered a “lower body” injury during the college football game against West Virginia on Saturday. To make matters worse, a Mountaineers staffer drove him directly into the wall.
He writhed in pain.
I have watched thousands (if not tens of thousands) of college football games in my lifetime. This has to be a first.
Josh Hough was ruled out for Cincinnati.
If you do not watch the Bearcats, this might be the first you are hearing of Josh Hough. I am a big fan. The sixth-year senior, who starred on the show Friday Night Tykes as a kid, actually began his college football career as a running back at Syracuse.
He suffered a season-ending injury during fall camp that kept him out for the entire 2021 and 2022 season. And then it was off to the transfer portal.
Hough transferred down to the Division II level of NCAA competition to play as a defensive lineman at California University of Pennsylvania. He helped lead the Vulcans to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons as a menacing presence at nose tackle. Last season was a huge breakout year.
Hough recorded 58 tackles (11 tackles for loss) with 2.5 sacks and three pass breakups in 13 games, which allowed him to transfer back up to Division I. Cincinnati brought him on as a transfer during the offseason.
Syracuse listed Hough at 255 pounds as a freshman. The Bearcats list him on the roster at 335 pounds as a sixth-year senior.
Not only did Hough work his way into the rotation in 2026, he made 15 tackles with three sacks through the first five games of the season. Unfortunately, Cincinnati lost its big defensive tackle to an injury during the first half on Saturday.
The injury cart operator drove him into a wall.
Josh Hough went down with approximately nine minutes remaining in the second quarter. He could not put pressure on his left foot needed to be helped off of the field by his teammates.
On the replay, it looked like Hough rolled his left ankle. The Bearcats ultimately ruled him out of the game with a “lower body” injury. They did not clarify further.
However, Hough took the shoe off of his left foot as soon as he got to the sideline so it is safe to assume that the issue is below the shin. Either a foot or an ankle or both.
Regardless of what the injury might be, Hough needed to be carted off of the field because he could not walk under his own power. A West Virginia staffer was behind the wheel. Hough sat on the back. What happened next you have to see to believe.
The injury cart driver backed Hough’s injured foot directly into the wall, which caused him to writhe in pain.
I don't know that I've ever seen a player's injury get worse because of the injury cart and yet… pic.twitter.com/LmgoXxnc0R
— Aaron Dickens (@AaronDickens) October 17, 2026
That is certainly not ideal. Hopefully the collision did not make the injury worse than it already was. It is one thing if Hough’s ankle hurt when his foot hit the wall. It is another thing if his ankle suffered additional damage when his foot hit the wall.
If it is the latter, there is a world where this gets litigious. Wouldn’t that be something?