Sophomore running back Michael Ford recorded only one carry for two yards against Florida on Saturday after rushing for 322 yards in LSU’s first five games.
Ford fumbled in the first quarter against Kentucky and only carried the ball seven times after the drop. LSU football coach Les Miles said Ford’s decrease in carries is not linked to the fumble, but he did stress the importance of ball security.
“It’s awfully important to our team that the person we entrust the responsibility to carry the football return it to the team,” Miles said. “That’s our ball. It’s a basic responsibility. We work on it every day. It’s not something that escapes us in any day, including game time.”
 
MATT SIMMS TO START FOR TENNESSEE
When LSU faces Tennessee this weekend, the Tigers will go up against an offense lacking its starting quarterback for the second consecutive week.
Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray will miss at least four weeks with a broken thumb in his throwing hand, and senior Matt Simms will start. Simms, son of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Phil Simms, started eight games in 2010 before losing the starting job to Bray.
“They’re going to do the things they do best, and I think Simms runs the offense in a very similar way,” Miles said. “I don’t think he’ll have the most recent experience, but he’s very experienced and he’ll do a very quality