LSU’s injury picture got a little clearer Wednesday, and the biggest name on the Tigers’ report is still hovering near a return.
Whit Weeks is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s Top-15 matchup with Alabama after missing more than a month following ankle surgery. The linebacker has been out since suffering the injury against Texas A&M in Week 4, but LSU at least has him trending in the right direction as the Tigers get ready for a huge SEC showdown in Tiger Stadium.
The rest of LSU’s availability report includes four players ruled out: wide receiver Phillip Wright III, linebacker Charles Ross II, safety Dashawn Spears and defensive tackle Richard Anderson. Zach Weeks is listed as questionable.
Alabama’s report also comes with a long list of names. The Crimson Tide have four players out: linebacker Desmond Umeozulu, linebacker Cayden Jones, defensive back Nick Sherman and defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman. Quarterback Jett Thomalla is doubtful, while running back AK Dear, wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams, defensive back Zabien Brown, running back EJ Crowell, offensive linemen Racin Delgatty and William Sanders, and defensive lineman Terrance Green are questionable.
LSU enters the game at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, with College Football Playoff implications hanging over the matchup. The Tigers are also staring down a brutal stretch, with Alabama first in a three-game run that continues against Texas and Tennessee in back-to-back weeks.
The injury list has been a theme all season for LSU. Dashawn Spears, Phillip Wright III and Charles Ross II all suffered season-ending ACL injuries, while tight end Trey’Dez Green missed extended time in October before returning in Week 8 at Auburn.
After the Texas A&M game, Lane Kiffin pointed to the toll the injuries have taken.
"These injuries - I’ve not been around this many significant injuries this early in the year. It’s really unfortunate. The good thing was guys stepped up and played in place of really significant players," Kiffin said after the Texas A&M game.
"Spears and Trey’Dez being out, and now with Whit… Those things are going to catch up to you. I don’t care what plays you draw up."
Saturday’s kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt said the rivalry has been on everyone’s mind.
"I think just to the fans around the entire state, it’s probably going to be one of the biggest games of the year. I hear all the time, whether I’m going to the store to grab something or getting food, people are saying, 'Hey, go beat Bama,'"
"Obviously, it means a lot. For me to be in this position, being a little kid and looking back, if someone told me Alabama was playing LSU on Saturday, I was going to be watching that game. Being from the West Coast and fantasizing about watching a game down here, not being a part of it, it’s a surreal and special experience."
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For LSU fans, the prediction is worth noting because this is the kind of game that can reshape the SEC race and, with it, the College Football Playoff picture. Georgias margin for error is always slim in conference play, and Ole Miss has already shown it can make life uncomfortable for the Bulldogs, which is why Kellys take adds another layer of intrigue to a matchup Tigers fans will be watching closely. [Read more 🡒]