After being sidelined for LSU’s first three games of the 2010 season, junior tight end Deangelo Peterson will make his season debut Saturday against West Virginia, LSU coach Les Miles said Wednesday.
 
Peterson has been out since Aug. 31 after he suffered an ankle injury in practice.
 
“He’s been practicing,” Miles said. “We anticipate him to play.”
 
Miles didn’t reveal if Peterson would start, and all signs point to junior tight end Mitch Joseph getting the nod for the fourth-straight game.
 
“I would think he would play significantly,” Miles said of Peterson. “I don’t know if the first play is his position.”
 
Joseph is known more for his blocking but does have five catches for 51 yards so far this season. Peterson is a converted wide receiver and was expected to be one of junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s more trusted targets in the red zone this season. Peterson had five catches last year, two of which went for touchdowns.
 
“[Peterson] is certainly a faster threat,” Miles said. “The good news is he’s blocked well this week, and we can put him in, and he’ll be a full-service Peterson.”
 
MURPHY ‘HOPEFUL’ FOR WVU
Senior running back Richard Murphy, who didn’t play last week because of a hamstring injury, is “hopeful” for this weekend, Miles said.
 
Miles also added sophomore wide receiver Chris Tolliver and freshman running back Spencer Ware were doubtful for the game. Tolliver is still recovering from a concussion, while Ware is nursing a hamstring injury.
 
PREPARING FOR DEFENSE
LSU has dealt with traditional defenses so far through three games but will face a different scheme against the Mountaineers.
 
West Virginia will run its staple 3-3-5 defense — three linemen, three linebackers, five defensive backs — in hopes of slowing down LSU’s running game.
 
“There is a different challenge to it,” Miles said. “It’s not that we’re not accustomed to it, it’s just that we don’t see it. You don’t play it with any regularity. It’s old learning for the coach but new learning for the players. It requires a focus to get it right.”
 
GETTING DEVINE
LSU also spent the week preparing for West Virginia running back Noel Devine by using freshmen Jarrett Fobbs and Jakhari Gore to simulate Devine.
 
Devine has 354 yards and two touchdowns rushing this season.
 
 
 
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