In his weekly “Lunch with Les” luncheon news conference, LSU coach Les Miles addressed the South Carolina game, the upcoming matchup with top-10 team University of Florida and team injuries.
Miles opened his news conference congratulating all who came out and supported LSU and South Carolina during Saturday’s underpopulated game.
“I would like to congratulate the fans and people of Louisiana,” Miles said. “We’ve been through that. I cannot complain about that crowd. That crowd was loud and fun.”
There were a mere 42,058 people in Tiger Stadium on Saturday — the smallest crowd in Death Valley since 33,728 gathered to watch LSU’s 28-0 win against Alabama in 1957.
South Carolina Recap
“The offense put up a lot of yards,” Miles said bluntly.
LSU (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) combined for 624 yards of total offense against the University of South Carolina, including 396 rushing yards and 228 passing yards.
Freshman running back Derrius Guice led the Tigers in rushing yards with 162 on 16 carries. He was followed by sophomore running back Leonard Fournette with 158 yards on 20 carries.
Guice was named the SEC Freshman of Week, the league office announced on Monday.
No. 8 Florida
The Gators will travel to Baton Rouge without freshman starting quarterback Will Grier in tow.
Grier was suspended for one year, the University of Florida announced Monday.
Grier’s suspension is credited to testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, Florida football coach Jim McElwain said during his press conference.
“Coach (Jim) McElwain will have them ready to play,” Miles said. “Most of the time, second team quarterback can operate the offense as is. We expect the core plays are the same. Very capable running back. Would suggest passing be the same.”
“I’m certain they will have a very capable guy,” Miles said about Florida’s starting quarterback.
LSU will meet No. 8 Florida at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.
Both LSU and Florida (6-0, 4-0 SEC) are undefeated heading into the seventh week of the season. The two teams lead the its respective divisions and are the only remaining SEC teams — other than Texas A&M — without a loss.
“They are a very talented, capable team,” Miles said. “They have a very strong defense. They are second in the conference in rush defense.”
Injury Update
On Saturday, LSU lost sophomore fullback John David Moore in the first quarter after a quick dump-off pass ended in a spearing of Moore around knee-height.
Miles was unsure is Moore will be liable for return against Florida.
“We would love to find out more about JD,” Miles said. “I don’t know about JD, though.”
Fournette attributes most of this season’s running-game success toward Moore and his aggressive blocking style.
Seniors safety Jalen Mills, tight end Dillon Gordon and junior defensive end Tashawn Bower all dressed out against South Carolina, but none played.
Gordon and Bower are expected to play against Florida, Miles said. He said Mills’ injury status is ‘still up in the air.”
Mills did not play a snap in 2015, and Gordon was injured against Syracuse University on Sept. 26 and hasn’t seen the field since.