LSU has some shuffling to do at tight end for its season opener Saturday against North Carolina.
Junior Deangelo Peterson will not make the trip to Atlanta with the team, as he suffered an injury that was “foot in nature,” LSU coach Les Miles said Wednesday night in his final address to the media before the Tigers and the Tar Heels square off in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
Miles said the offense will use junior Mitch Joseph and sophomores Chase Clement and Tyler Edwards in Peterson’s absence, and he would not say how long Peterson will be out.
“It should not keep him out in an extended way,” Miles said. “There’s a tight end less in the rotation. It’s not a personnel group we can be in for any length of time.”
On the North Carolina side, Tar Heels senior defensive tackle Marvin Austin is suspended indefinitely and will not play Saturday.
North Carolina coach Butch Davis said the decision to suspend Austin was not a result of the ongoing NCAA investigation surrounding the team.
“Marvin has violated team rules and has neglected his responsibilities to the team,” Davis said in a news release.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Austin earned Second-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 2009 and is a projected first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Miles reiterated his message this week that suspensions will not affect the way LSU prepares to face North Carolina.
“I’m sure it will be the same style of defense,” Miles said. “They will have a guy who lines up inside, and we’ll have to block him. I don’t care which 11 show up [for North Carolina]. I really don’t. I’m not taking attendance.”
In the absence of junior linebacker Ryan Baker, who broke his jaw in four places during practice Aug. 13, Kevin Minter and Lamin Barrow are waiting in the wings.
Miles said he expects the redshirt freshmen to rise up to the challenge.
“[Their mentality] is great,” Miles said. “Those young guys will be excited when they go onto the field. It may take a couple of plays to catch their breath, but after that, I look forward to the way they play.”
Miles said sophomore defensive tackle Josh Downs will be 100 percent Saturday after missing some practice time with injury.
Miles also said senior offensive tackle Joseph Barksdale has developed a leadership role on the offensive line this season as the oldest of the group.
“He really has embraced his role,” Miles said. “He wants them to be a closer group. His personality is starting to wear on them.”
When Miles was asked to provide one final thought to get fans excited for the season opener in two days, he gave dynamic remarks, saying he is excited to see the loyal fans who support the team both near and far from Baton Rouge.
“This is a fact: Every place we play, when we pull up and we see purple and gold, that bus catches fire,” Miles said. “I can’t tell you how many away trips I’ve been on and saw that purple and gold greet the bus, and the smiles on our kids’ faces when they get off the bus …  That pocket of purple and gold is what everybody’s after. That’s what we want to get.”
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Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]