No. 7 LSU heads to Oxford on Saturday for a Top-10 SEC showdown with No. 8 Ole Miss, and the first availability report has already added a jolt to the buildup.
The biggest name on it is LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is listed as doubtful for Week 3 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The report comes with less than 75 hours to go before kickoff, and Leavitt’s status could still change when the next update arrives on Thursday. For now, though, LSU has its starting quarterback in the doubtful category for a road game that already had plenty of attention attached to it.
Leavitt has thrown for 574 yards through the air this season, going 41-for-66 with two touchdowns and four interceptions. He looked off last Saturday against Louisiana Tech, which only sharpened the focus on his availability heading into this weekend.
If Leavitt can’t go, LSU has leaned on Elon transfer Landen Clark behind center through the first two weeks rather than USC five-star transfer Husan Longstreet. Clark has completed 7 of 10 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown without an interception, while also adding 42 rushing yards and a score on seven carries. That gives him 151 total yards and two touchdowns on the year.
The rest of LSU’s availability report includes WR Phillip Wright III, LB Jaiden Braker and RB Raycine Guillory as out. Linebackers TJ Dottery and Tylen Singleton are questionable. Trey’Dez Green, Whit Weeks, Davhon Keys and Aliou Bah are all listed as probable.
Ole Miss also has a few names on its report. CB Victor Lincoln Jr. and OL Emanuel Faulkner are out, while RB Makhi Frazier and OL Tommy Kinsler IV are questionable. LB Keaton Thomas and CB Cedrick Beavers are probable.
Lane Kiffin has already made clear the spotlight doesn’t bother him. On Monday, he said, "The pressure is on [Ole Miss].
We won seven games last year. They won 13 games.
They return two Heisman candidates," Kiffin said on Monday. "How often does that ever happen in the same backfield?
"
He added, "We had it one time with Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush - and [Ole Miss has the] second longest winning streak in the country, so you guys just get to go play, and the pressure is not on you."
Kiffin also said, "I know obviously a lot's going to be made about me, but this is about the players being prepared really well and playing really well. Pete's not going to tackle anybody. I'm not going to throw any touchdowns," Kiffin said on Monday.
"This is about our guys.. This is the first SEC game - both teams are 2-0, and we've got to prepare really well."
Saturday’s game is the SEC Game of the Week, with College GameDay set for Oxford. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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