During LSU's game against the Texas A&M Aggies, starting left guard Garrett Dellinger went down in the first half, limping off the field with an ankle injury. Dellinger never returned to the game with Paul Mubenga stepping in to replace him but, the nature of the injury at that position made it likely he'd miss the Alabama game.
The LSU Football team's fears have been confirmed as the Tigers will be without Garrett Dellinger for this weeks game and potentially a while after that game. Brian Kelly told the media on Monday that Dellinger underwent "tightrope surgery" on his ankle.
This is the same surgery that Brock Bowers had last season and it took him 26 days to return to the lineup post surgery. Tightrope surgery is used to strengthen the ligaments in the ankle and its designed to speed up the recovery from an injury.
While speaking about the injury and what LSU's plan is Brian Kelly told the media that Paul Mubenga will "most likely" start at left guard.
The injury is a massive blow to LSU's offensive line especially as LSU faces off against Alabama who has a ton of talent on the defensive line. The Tigers were already struggling to run the football and their success was coming when LSU was running left so Paul Mubenga will need to step up.
The talent level is there for LSU but, the experience isn't
While Paul Mubenga is a very talented player, the LSU Tigers will feel the loss of Garrett Dellinger the next few weeks. A massive part of solid offensive line play is playing next to someone you've played with as you know what the other player is doing. You can expect a ton of inside blitzes and confusing concepts from Alabama's defense as the Tide will look to take advantage of the inexperience.