LSU star linebacker Whit Weeks and Alabama key wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks were both listed as out on Friday night for their respective team’s SEC games on Saturday.
First off, Weeks’ absence for 20th-ranked LSU in Saturday night’s showdown against No. 3 Texas A&M wasn’t a huge surprise when the SEC availability report came out on Friday night. Earlier Friday, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that the junior linebacker would miss the primetime game on ABC as he continues to rehab from a lingering ankle injury.
So, the Friday night availability report simply backed up that CBS report, not that Weeks’ absence would feel any easier for the Tigers against the high-octane Aggies offense.
On a positive note, Zenitz did report that it’s “considered likely” that Weeks would return for LSU’s game at No. 4 Alabama on Nov. 8.
Meanwhile, Brooks was listed as out for Alabama’s matchup at South Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) after being added to the availability report on Thursday. Brooks was listed as doubtful on Thursday and then downgraded to out on Friday night.
Brooks has been a spark for the Alabama passing game this season, catching 16 passes for 255 yards, so his absence on Saturday against the Gamecocks will be felt. He caught 3 passes for 39 yards in last week’s home victory over Tennessee.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
