Update: On Wednesday, Ed Orgeron said that both Guice and Lawrence were questionable for this weekend’s game.
The injury bug has hit an already thin LSU football team. The Tigers have lost senior safety Ed Paris to a knee injury, and the health of junior running back Derrius Guice and sophomore defensive end Rashard Lawrence fluctuates every week.
Paris suffered a devastating knee injury during practice last week, and was wearing a knee brace and crutches during LSU’s game on Saturday. Paris had been a leader for the youthful Tiger secondary, and forces the team to rotate three freshmen and a sophomore at safety positions.
“Ed’s going to be out for the season,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said in his weekly media luncheon. “[Paris] just went through an operation, and hopefully we can redshirt him and get him back for next year.”
Paris’ injury ,combined with junior strong safety John Battle’s injury, will force LSU to shuffle things around.
“John is out right now,” Orgeron said. “But I think he’s going to play this week. So we have to see as the week goes by, but I think he’s going to be fine.”
Orgeron said if Battle cannot play, the Tigers will start redshirt freshman Eric Monroe next to true freshman Grant Delpit against Troy.
Monroe made three tackles against Syracuse after coming on for an injured Battle and Delpit has 15 tackles and three pass breakups on the season.
The Tigers will also have to figure out a more effective way to replace Lawrence up front. The sophomore missed two games against Chattanooga and Mississippi State with an ankle injury before returning on Saturday.
Orgeron said after the game, however, that Lawrence suffered an injury to his other ankle.“I don’t think Rashard Lawrence is going to play this week,” Orgeron said. “He does give us a big boost when he plays. I thought he plays fantastic. We’re very thin, but we have to learn how to rotate our guys earlier in the first and second quarter so they’re not worn out in the third and the fourth. I think you’ll see an improvement in that this week.”
Redshirt freshman defensive end Glen Logan will likely get the second start of his career in place of Lawrence, unless Orgeron decides to start sophomore nose tackle Ed Alexander, who has dealt with a hand injury and missed last week’s game.
LSU will also most likely be without its star running back Guice for the next game. Guice suffered a minor knee injury, and was originally ruled out of the game against Syracuse.
He finished last weekend’s game with eight carries for 14 yards and one touchdown.
“Derrius is out,” Orgeron said. “I don’t know if he’s going to practice this week, and I don’t know if he’s going to play. We’ll see how he goes on a day-to-day basis, but he’s hurt a little bit right now.”
LSU junior running back Derrius Guice (5) celebrates a touchdown during the Tigers' 35-26 victory against Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, in Tiger Stadium.
