LSU's already anxiety-inducing injury report: starters Princewill Umanmielen and Jackson Harris will likely find themselves on it this week as LSU prepares to face Auburn.
Both Umanmielen and Harris went to the locker room and returned to the sidelines in street clothes on Saturday in the win over Mississippi State, joining starters Whit Weeks, Trey'Dez Green and Dashawn Spears as major pieces that couldn't go.
LSU has needed the next-man-up mentality for a while now, but it's even more key as two more starters face some time away from the field.
Princewill Umanmielen
Umanmielen went down on Saturday with an upper body injury that is believed to be a head injury.
He went down in the first half, but he was able to walk off the field, into the locker room and back out in street clothes after the half all on his own.
Umanmielen looked more ready to play than Harris on Saturday, but still, Umanmielen could miss some time if he has to go into concussion protocol.
Kiffin hasn't provided any updates on Umanmielen in his post-game presser, his Sunday visit with the media or his weekly press conference on Monday.
“I don’t have any updates medically for you,” Kiffin said on Sunday.
Filling in for him will be Dylan Carpenter, a third-year player at LSU who has shown this season he deserves more time on the field - which he's earned at times over LSU's other dominant edge, Jordan Ross.
Carpenter did a great job filling in on Saturday, tallying two tackles, half a tackle for loss and half a sack.
Jackson Harris
Harris hobbled off the field on Saturday and was taken to the medical tent before limping into the locker room and returning in street clothes with a boot on his foot.
Harris has been LSU's best receiver by far this season, leading LSU in receiving yards with 456 this season on 27 catches.
He is also first in touchdown catches with five and in average yards per catch among those who have caught more than three passes at 16.9.
The transfer from Hawaii led LSU in receiving yards in the game with 85 on six catches and two touchdowns before leaving in the third quarter.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Kiffin said on Sunday. “(Harris) was playing great, really coming along great. I think our passing game in general really has hit a good stride here lately, and a lot of that was having to do with him. He’s really started to take shorter plays and turn them into big plays and looks really fast and confident.”
If Harris is shut down for Auburn, LSU will likely turn to freshman Corey Barber Jr. or Illinois transfer Malik Elzy for the road trip.
Moving Forward
Kiffin was asked Saturday after the game about Mississippi State missing Kamario Taylor, and if that made a difference.
“I don’t have a lot of empathy for injuries," Kiffin said.
And it's fair.
As he looked on the sideline on Saturday, he saw arguably the country's best tight end, arguably the SEC's best linebacker, the second player on the sack list this season and his best receiver, all in street clothes.
But now, he's looking ahead.
“Auburn is playing really well,” Kiffin said. “They did something a team rarely ever does – win at Georgia. They have a really good offense and some really good-looking players on defense. We’re going to try to get a win before the bye and hopefully get a little better (with injuries).”
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