Nick Saban provides injury update on LB Deontae Lawson, OL Terrence Ferguson vs. Texas A&M

Alabama came out relatively healthy coming out of the Mississippi State game, with Nick Saban not reporting anything new during his postgame press conference. There are some guys who could not play in Starkville though, dealing with more long-term stuff. Deontae Lawson and Terrence Ferguson are two of them, with the hope being the return on Saturday against Texas A&M.

Saban gave the latest of Lawson and Ferguson, saying both have practiced this week. As for their game status, Alabama will not know anything more until closer to kickoff. At the very least, getting them back on the practice field is a positive.

“Both guys are able to practice,” Saban said during the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “We probably won’t know how effective they will be for the game until later in the week.”

Lawson, who Saban has dubbed the signal caller of the Alabama defense, suffered an ankle injury against Ole Miss. Two guys had to step in against Mississippi State and Saban was happy with the results.

“Trezmen Marshall did a really good job,” Saban said following the Mississippi State game. “Jihaad (Campbell) is a little bit inexperienced. Those two guys playing together have been really good for us.”

Campbell might be inexperienced but he had a career day in Starkville. He led Alabama with 14 tackles and was even able to intercept quarterback Will Rogers. Marshall was not too far behind in performance, having nine tackles, two tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. Saban clearly values Lawson as a player but linebacker has still been a strong suit in his absence.

As for Ferguson, he has also suffered his injury against Ole Miss and left the field just before halftime. He has been playing right guard for the Crimson Tide and the position has been thin at times.

Heading into Texas A&M, Alabama will need the offensive line at full strength. The Aggies’ defensive line has dominated their last two SEC opponents on the line of scrimmage, ending up in the backfield consistently. It’s an area they have recruited well over the past few cycles and the results are finally showing up on the field.

On the flip, Alabama has struggled to protect Jalen Milroe at times. Their sacks given-up numbers are not the greatest and definitely not up to the program’s standard. Adding somebody like Ferguson back into the mix would be a huge benefit to the effort.