LSU's offensive line took a massive hit when Garrett Dellinger went down with an ankle sprain against Texas A&M. The Tigers were efficient running the football against the Aggies defense when he was out there, but once he went out, the run game virtually disappeared.

There was some hope that with the bye week, Dellinger could get healthy enough to suit up for this Saturday's game against Alabama, but on Monday, Brian Kelly confirmed the rumor that Dellinger had surgery on his ankle and will be out for the Alabama game.

"He had a tightrope surgery, so he will be out for this weekend's game against Alabama." Kelly confirmed in his Monday press conference.

When Dellinger went down, redshirt freshman, Paul Mubenga, came in to replace him. He played fairly well, allowing one sack in 49 snaps, but now he'll have a full two weeks to prepare for Alabama's defensive front.

Kelly told us on Monday that he thinks Mubenga has come a long way in his development, and he expects him to play well in place of Dellinger this weekend.

"Paul has steadily worked himself up into what I would call a key backup," said Kelly. "He's somebody that is poised to go in at a pivotal time, and you expect to get the job done. Now he's a starter for us most likely for at least this week."

Later in the press conference, Kelly was asked about whether or not they expect to get Dellinger back this season, and he told us they fully expect him to play again this year, and he could possibly play next weekend against Florida.

Dellinger has been arguably LSU's best run blocking offensive lineman this year, so not having him out there against Alabama's defense is going to be tough, but making sure he's 100% before returning is what's most important.

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