LSU was already under pressure coming home from Oxford, and now they’ll be shorthanded too. LSU released its first injury report for Saturday’s LSU-Texas A&M game on Wednesday night. The Tigers will be without two of their most important players against the Aggies.
Injury Report
Green and Spears both suffered knee injuries in last Saturday’s 32-24 loss at Ole Miss. Spears is out for the season while Green’s return timeline is unclear, but there’s positive news. According to a post from his mother, he avoided surgery and is expected back at some point this season.
Losing Green hurts the offense the most. He led the Tigers in receiving yards in each of the last two games, and LSU doesn’t have another tight end quite like him. Expect Charlie Weis Jr. to get creative with the offense. That could mean using Zach Grace more as a run blocker, with Roman Mothershed rotating in as a bigger receiving target. It could also mean leaning harder on the run game, or on Sam Leavitt building more consistency with outside receivers like Jackson Harris and Jayce Brown.
On defense, Spears’ absence means more snaps for Jhase Thomas, CJ Jimcoily and possibly Jackson if he’s healthy. Thomas was LSU’s highest-graded defender in the Ole Miss loss. He’ll likely play alongside Ty Benefield and Tamarcus Cooley.
The secondary designations are the ones to watch this week. Cooley is a starter, so him being questionable matters. Jackson’s doubtful status matters too, because LSU has little proven depth behind starting corners DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland, and Jackson is the most experienced backup. He intercepted a pass in the second half last week but was seen in a walking boot after the game.
If both Cooley and Jackson are limited, the Tigers will face Marcel Reed with a thin and inexperienced backfield.
The Aggies have their own injuries at wide receiver. Mike Elko says Bussey suffered a season-ending injury against Kentucky. The Tigers recruited Bussey hard as a flip target before he signed with A&M. Bethel-Roman missed the Kentucky game and is questionable. If he can’t play, Reed’s main targets are Mario Craver and Isaiah Horton. Craver saw 19 targets against Kentucky. Morrow, A&M’s running back, also missed last week and is questionable for Saturday.
Kiffin’s injury reports have already proven to be unpredictable. Last week, LSU listed Leavitt as doubtful on Wednesday, then took him off the report two days later, and he started against Ole Miss. Expect movement on the Thursday and Friday reports, especially for Cooley and Jackson.
No. 10 LSU and No. 23 Texas A&M kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Tiger Stadium on ABC. Stay updated with TigerSources for availability updates through kickoff.
— Eric Palmer, TigerSources