Alabama got a boost up front against LSU, and Racin Delgatty made sure the Crimson Tide’s line looked a lot more like itself.
After missing the Tennessee and Texas A&M games with a left leg injury suffered late against Georgia, Delgatty was back in his starting center spot for Saturday’s win. His return mattered, especially with William Sanders out for the trip to LSU and Mal Waldrep able to move back to his left guard role.
Delgatty said Tuesday that the road back was as much about time in the training room as anything else.
“I was living in the training room,” Delgatty told reporters on Tuesday. “I was there from six in the morning to like six at night every single day.
I mean, they do such a great job. Credit to all the trainers.
I mean, Jeff Allen’s just a mastermind when it comes to this stuff.”
Waldrep had already been forced into the center job after Delgatty went down against Georgia, then held that spot through the loss at Tennessee and the home win over Texas A&M. Delgatty had plenty of praise for the way Waldrep handled the switch.
“He did such a good job,” Delgatty said of Waldrep. “I mean, I trust everyone in our O-line, but Mal came in, stepped up and executed at a high level.”
Even after the LSU game, Delgatty was still wearing a heavy brace on his knee Tuesday. He said the soreness has eased since the injury, but the recovery was still a grind.
“It’s feeling pretty good,” he said. “I mean, the day after it was definitely sore, but it’s gotten a lot better.”
Still, the payoff was obvious in the moment. Alabama left Baton Rouge with a win, and Delgatty said that made the whole process worth it.
“It was awesome,” Delgatty said. “I mean, you come to Alabama for these types of games, to come out on top was just, doesn’t get much better than that.”
The Crimson Tide now turn to Vanderbilt, where they’ll be on the road Saturday after the Commodores picked up their first SEC win of the season by beating an injury-depleted Mississippi State team in Starkville. Alabama is expected to be a heavy favorite.
The team hasn’t spent much time talking about last year’s trip to Nashville, when Vanderbilt pulled off an upset that played a part in keeping Alabama out of the College Football Playoff. Delgatty said the focus is on one thing.
“I’d always just say the physicality piece,” Delgatty said of the team’s emphasis heading into the Vanderbilt game. “I mean, just watching them fly off the ball and hit, feel the pads pop.”
Alabama and Vanderbilt are set for an 11:45 a.m. CT kickoff Saturday at FirstBank Stadium. The game will air on the SEC Network.
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