Alabama running back Mark Ingram, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday and has been ruled out for their season opener this Saturday against San Jose State and could very well be out of the lineup when the Nittany Lions play Alabama on September 11 as well.

While Coach Nick Saban has not ruled Ingram out of the Penn State game as of yet, arthroscopic surgery usually takes two to four weeks to recover from, and reports say that ‘Bama won’t rush Ingram back.

For those of you who think that this may turn the Tide in our favor, be cautious. Sophomore Trent Richardson is still in the Alabama backfield, and some experts (and this reporter) believe that he is the better of the two halfbacks. Richardson is the speed to Ingram’s power and rushed for 751 yards as the backup last season. While taking on the starter’s role may be a challenge at first, he has the talent to break open any run and rush past any defense. Just ask Texas.