Leonard Fournette shouldn’t expect a carry limit this weekend.
Fournette (ankle) practiced for the first time this week since LSU coach Ed Orgeron became the Tigers’ interim head coach in late September.
“[He] looks full speed,” Orgeron said Wednesday during the Southeastern Conference’s weekly teleconference.
Although he does not have a pitch count as LSU meets No. 22 Ole Miss at 8 p.m. Saturday, Fournette will be swapping carries with sophomore tailback Derrius Guice and junior running back Darrel Williams.
“We’re going to use a rotation,” the coach said. “Feels like [Fournette’s] fine. [We’re] going to give him the football and let him do what he needs to.”
Orgeron said LSU will monitor Fournette’s health Saturday, but the junior running back told the coach he was “fine” Tuesday, Orgeron said.
“We’re going to give him the football,” Orgeron said.
Six games into the season, Guice remains LSU’s leading rusher with 564 rushing yards on 62 attempts and six touchdowns — averaging 9.1 yards per carry.
Fournette, who missed LSU’s games against Jacksonville State, Missouri and Southern Miss, has garnered 386 rushing yards this season on 67 carries with two touchdowns.
Kickoff, punt return duties
Cornerback Donte Jackson will be LSU’s kick returner — and soon-to-be punt return man — for the foreseeable future and not Guice, Orgeron said.
Orgeron wanted to give Guice “a break” from return duties as he has started in place of Fournette amid his lingering ankle injury. Jackson has three kick returns for 93 yards this season — not including a 101-yard touchdown return, which was negated by a penalty against Jacksonville State.
Jackson was working at punt returner in Tuesday’s practice, too, and Wednesday Orgeron hinted Jackson may be LSU’s leading punt returner going forward.
“We do like his ability to break a long one,” Orgeron said of Jackson. “Tremendous vision.”
