Auburn’s offensive line will be without one of its starters for at least one week.
Left tackle Alec Jackson underwent surgery on his right hand on Monday, per Gus Malzahn. He will be out for this Saturday’s matchup against Texas A&M. He will be replaced by redshirt junior Austin Troxell.
A former defensive lineman who beat out Troxell for the starting left-tackle gig in preseason camp, Jackson had been steadily improving — along with the rest of the Tigers’ inexperienced offensive line — before he sustained the hand injury two weeks ago against Tennessee. He exited the game and returned with a club on his right hand, but he was in for only two plays before he came out of the game again.
The offensive line has been a major problem for the Tigers this season as they have consistently been beaten in the trenches. Malzahn still sees the group improving.
“It’s a group that I think — just like it was a few weeks ago — just getting used to playing together since we have two new tackles we’ve plugged in,” Malzahn said of the O-line. “I’m real confident that that group can continue to get better the more they play together and the more they practice together.”