LSU has had an unfortunate swing of luck this season with recent injuries, losing key players on both sides of the ball.

Defensive star, linebacker Whit Weeks went down during the Texas A&M matchup with a fractured fibula in his right leg, with an unknown timetable for when the playmaker will return to finish out his last season with the Tigers.

Weeks didn't just dominate on the defense, but held an important role of play-caller on the unit and team captain for the team, making his injury a tough blow for the team during the early season.

The Irreplaceable Role Model

Last weekend, the Tigers traveled to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats and suffered their second loss of the season, a 35-34 loss in overtime.

Weeks was unable to travel with the team, staying back in Baton Rouge to continue therapy for his injury.

Before the game, Weeks texted each defensive player individually, showing his leadership abilities even when he's not able to be with the team himself.

Even though he's still able to contribute his leadership abilities, missing Weeks on both the sidelines and on the field has cost a major part of the program, as Weeks is a one-of-a-kind addition to the team.

During Monday's press conference, Kiffin described him as an irreplaceable player, both as a voice in the locker room and for his defensive abilities to take down quarterbacks and make key plays.

Weeks is the kind of player who can shift the momentum of the game by being a critical leader, a factor that LSU's defense could have used during the Kentucky matchup, making simple mistakes and having an overall system error on the unit.

That's why his absence has left a large gap on the team, not being able to find the exact replacement for his multiple roles in the program, leaving the Tigers to fill an unexpected gap in a short period of time.

Weeks has had an impressive LSU career, establishing himself as a must-watch player on the field and emerging as a go-to leader in the locker room, a routine that has been a constant in the program for the past two seasons.

While injuries have limited his ability to fulfill these roles before, the Tigers need that kind of leader and player now more than ever, especially when things go wrong on the defense and there is a much-needed turnaround mid-game.

As the Tigers are the home team this weekend, Weeks will be able to contribute his leadership from the sidelines, helping the defense against the No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs.

But if Weeks is once again unable to travel for the Auburn game the following weekend, the team must be able to create that momentum shift without Whit as the on-site leader.

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