BATON ROUGE – LSU’s injury bad luck continued on Tuesday when Heisman Trophy contending tailback Leonard Fournette suffered what appeared to be a minor, low ankle sprain after being fallen upon while being tackled.
“Sometimes the odds don’t play in your favor,” LSU coach Les Miles said of his team’s fourth significant injury over just the 10 days at a press conference on Tuesday. “Leonard Fournette got a slight sprain and is in a boot so he can get some of the healing going. So I figured you guys might get that. I’d lead with it.”
Asked when Fournette may return to practice, Miles said, ‘I don’t know at this point. In his words, he’ll be fine.”
Miles pointed out the injury was not a high ankle sprain, which usually means several weeks out of action and a high chance of the injury aggravating a player throughout the season when he does return to action.
“We’ll get Leonard healthy quick,” he said.
Miles rarely volunteers injury information, but he did so this time in his opening remarks likely because, as he said, Fournette will be openly wearing the boot. In the past, players have worn protective boots when their injury was kept away from reporters at first, and then they were spotted by reporters who were going to and from LSU’s practice facility for coach and player interviews.
A junior from St. Augustine High in New Orleans, Fournette has been virtually injury free as a Tiger. He was running away in the race for the Heisman Trophy last season before tailing off at the end of the season, but he still finished with an LSU record 1,953 yards on the season for third in the nation.
Miles said Fournette had gained about 10 yards on a run up the middle before being tackled and fallen upon by a tackler, which often happens. LSU scrimmaged only briefly – about 30 plays for the first team and 21 for second teamers – at the end of practice.
LSU suffered three injuries last week, including two to projected starters. Senior defensive tackle Christian LaCouture, who started the last two seasons, was lost for the season with a knee injury as was sophomore backup outside linebacker Isaiah Washington. Projected starting senior outside linebacker Corey Thompson, a converted safety, broke a bone in his leg near his ankle and is expected to be out for several weeks and may miss early games in the 2016 season.
The No. 6 Tigers open the season at Wisconsin in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Saturday, September 3, at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
SCRIMMAGE STATISTICS GUESSED: Fournette gained 20 yards on two carries in the scrimmage, Miles estimated with no written statistics in front of him. He guessed backup tailback Derrius Guice had about the same amount of carries and yardage. He said quarterback Brandon Harris completed about 14 of 20 passes, and backup Danny Etling also hit about 14 of 20.
LSU will return to two-a-day practices on Wednesday after the single practice Tuesday. The Tigers will work at 8:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Wednesday. After an off day Thursday, LSU will practice at 11:15 a.m. Friday and scrimmage at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Tiger Stadium.
TRAVONTE VALENTINE UPDATE: “Thick, strong, tough to block,” was how Miles described the first few practices of sophomore transfer nose guard Travonte Valentine, who was just cleared to practice last week after transferring from Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College and Arizona Western.
Valentine is taking one course during the intercession term that he needs to pass to be eligible to play in games this fall. An LSU signee in 2014 as the No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation out of Miami, he was never cleared academically and was kicked off the team for poor habits the following summer. Miles expects Valentine to be ready to play in LSU’s opener against Wisconsin.
BRANDON HARRIS PROGRESS: “He continues to improve,” Miles said of junior starting quarterback Brandon Harris. “He has much more poise. He’s putting people in position. He’s acting as our quarterback should act.”
THE FLOOD: Miles praised the first responders, law enforcement and local media for their roles in the terrible flood in south Louisiana over the last few days.
“You think about 30,000 people rescued, 12,000 people in shelters, and the number changes hourly,” he said. “I just have seen the style of people that extend themselves, do their job better than it can be done in times like this. And I’m thrilled to be a part. Our team certainly recognizes we’re a part of the community. This is certainly my home. Again, the first responders, and you see policemen and firefighters of all kinds involved. Again, I’m proud to be a part of this community. It’s wonderful to call Baton Rouge home.”
Miles said he planned to have his team visit some of the local shelters.
