Tennessee junior Riley Locklear has started at right guard a few times this season, but he is now dealing with an injury.

For a unit that has already had trouble being effective behind standout OL Trey Smith, this is bad news, especially with a trip to Alabama coming this weekend.

On Wednesday night, coach Jeremy Pruitt said he doesn’t think Locklear will be able to play on Saturday night:

Alabama’s defense has struggled at times this year, but so has Tennessee’s offense. Being down a key lineman like Locklear makes the Vols’ job even tougher.

How will it affect the Vols’ offense? We’ll find out Saturday night.