LSU wide receiver Travin Dural, the Tigers' top downfield offensive threat, suffered minor injuries in an automobile accident early Sunday morning in Baton Rouge, but is still expected to play in LSU's game against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
LSU coach Les Miles spoke to the media following Wednesday's practice and confirmed that the receiver would be available to play Saturday.
"He had a little accident, one where he sustained very minor soft tissue injury and he'll be fine," Miles said, according to The Times-Picayune. "He'll play in this game. He was at practice today, helmet's on, flying around."
The third-year sophomore was hit from behind in the wreck, according to theadvertiser.com, and suffered a forehead gash requiring stitches as well as a bump on the head. The report noted Dural missed practice both Monday and Tuesday, and did not meet with reporters, which led to uncertainty about his status for Saturday's game.
Dural (6-foot-2, 192 pounds) has exploded early in the season for LSU to mitigate the loss of two prized NFL draft picks in Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. The New York Giants made Beckham the 12th pick of the first round, and Landry went to the Miami Dolphins in the second round (No. 63 overall). After catching just seven passes as a freshman backup last year, Dural already has six catches for a staggering 291 yards and four touchdowns in two LSU wins. His yards-per-catch average of 48.5 leads the entire NCAA, and he led LSU in the same category last year at 20.7.
In short, preseason concerns about LSU's wide receivers have waned thanks entirely to Dural. As a third-year sophomore, Dural could conceivably enter the NFL draft as early as 2015, but could remain at LSU for as many as two years after this one.
Following the ULM game, the Tigers play their SEC opener against Mississippi State on Sept. 20.
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