LSU Taking Bye Week to Get Healthy, Make Improvements Ahead of Alabama

Tigers will have light week of practice with many players not participating, focus will be on fundamentals

After a fall camp in pads followed by eight physical weeks of games on Saturdays, this LSU team is beat up. There are nicks and bruises up and down this roster that has already lost a number of key players this season. 

That's why this week will be far more about LSU improving on itself than preparing for Nick Saban and Alabama in two weeks. Coach Ed Orgeron said this will be a light week of practice for the players, who are coming off a very tough stretch of football and need to get their minds and bodies right before the final month of the season. 

The Tigers will take Monday to "self scout" before light practices on Tuesday and Wednesday where the team will focus on itself and improving on the fundamentals.

"Open date, we're going to fix LSU first before we move on to our opponent," Orgeron said. "We're not gonna have any pads on all week. They're beat up after going eight weeks straight plus camp. We got a lot of nagging injuries, it's going to be more teaching. We have some things on offense and defense we want to put in so it's a good time to do that and also a good time to self scout."

LSU will also have to take the next week or so to get as healthy as possible. The Tigers are already down star players like Derek Stingley, Elias Ricks, Kayshon Boutte, Ali Gaye and Andre Anthony, most of whom are done for the season. But the last few games have also further dipped into the depth at a number of key positions. 

Orgeron revealed that tackle Anthony Bradford is out for the year with an injury while safety Major Burns and cornerback Cordale Flott will not practice this week either. The team is hopeful that Flott will be available for the Alabama game but will have to wait and see on Burns. 

Losing anyone on the offensive line is unaffordable for LSU considering the lack of depth that already exists. Orgeron did say he thinks tackle Cam Wire and guard Chasen Hines might be ready for Alabama as well. 

The sheer number of players down is reason enough to take it light on the players on the field in practice but it's important to note that the team must attack some of the other areas with focus and efficiency. Putting the attention back on the fundamentals for a week is the kind of recalibrating this group could need for the home stretch of the season.