LSU football star ruled out for Saturday's game vs. Alabama

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LSU linebacker Whit Weeks was officially ruled out for LSU’s contest vs. Alabama, per the SEC’s Friday night availability report. Weeks has missed the last two games and, based on early reports, was considered doubtful this week.

This is a harsh blow for LSU, as they’re set to face off against an Alabama offense that has been outstanding during its SEC schedule, averaging nearly 30 points per game against in-conference opponents.

Conversely, LSU’s defense has struggled during Weeks’ absence. Before his injury, LSU’s defense allowed 11.83 points per game, but in the two matchups since then, it’s allowed 31 and 49. Moreover, when Weeks was active, the defense gave up 259.3 total yards per game; in the two games without him, they allowed 387.5 yards per game.

This is partly due to the caliber of the opponents LSU faced without Weeks, matching up against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M, who rank 13th and 11th in points per game, respectively. However, when Weeks was healthy against a high-scoring Ole Miss offense in Week 5, they still managed to perform, holding the Rebels to 24 points.

Given Alabama’s offensive firepower, it will take a pair of top-tier performances from LSU’s linebacker corps of Harold Perkins Jr. and West Weeks to stifle the Crimson Tide offense.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Final decision made on LSU football’s Whit Weeks status vs Alabama

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