Leonard Fournette's status for LSU's final regular-season game against Texas A&M won't be clear until game time on Thursday, a fitting way to end a season in which the star rusher's ankle injury has made him a relatively constant question mark.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron called the junior a "game-time decision" on Monday. And if LSU's loss to Florida on Saturday was any indication, the decision appears to belong to Fournette himself. He was reportedly set to sit out the UF game, which would have been his fourth missed game of the year, until a pre-game scuffle between the Tigers and Gators led him to ask Orgeron to suit up and play.
At 230 pounds, Fournette's powerful style established him as one of the top rushers in college football as a freshman in 2014. He's been compared to Bo Jackson, and has 19 career games of 100-plus yards. Fournette injured his ankle during preseason practice in August, however, and his availability this season has been on-again, off-again.
Fournette spoke about the possibility of applying for early eligibility into the 2017 draft last week, but said he won't make a final decision until he's spoken with Orgeron after the season.
» LSU LB Kendell Beckwithwon't play against the Aggies, leaving a significant void in the Tigers' linebacker corps as it prepares to face one of the top young rushers in the SEC in Trayveon Williams. A left knee injury sidelined Beckwith for the second half of LSU's 16-10 loss to Florida. Beckwith, who has made a team-high 91 tackles on the season, was named a finalist for the Butkus Award (nation's top LB) on Monday.
» Alabama junior LT Cam Robinson left a 31-3 win over Chattanooga Saturday with a shoulder injury. UA coach Nick Saban said he expects Robinson to miss no more than one day of practice, however, and return to the lineup for this week's game against rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
» Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said QB Wilton Speight's availability for Saturday's game against rival Ohio State is being evaluated day-to-day. Speight did not play against Indiana last week and reportedly has a broken collarbone, although Harbaugh has not confirmed that.
» Michigan State DL Malik McDowell has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, and it's unclear whether he'll play against Penn State this week. Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said no players have been ruled out for the game as of yet. McDowell, one of the most talented underclassmen in college football, has been inconsistent when healthy this season. He said in August that he would apply for early eligibility in the 2017 draft only if he were projected as a top-three pick.
» Texas A&M QB Trevor Knight is hoping to play against LSU, despite being ruled out for the regular season by coach Kevin Sumlin on Nov. 8 after a loss to Mississippi State. Sumlin reiterated Monday that there has been no change in his playing status. Knight is recovering from a shoulder sprain.
» Florida LB Jarrad Daviswill not play against rival Florida State on Saturday due to an ankle sprain. The senior is one of the top draft prospects at his position, but hasn't played since a Nov. 5 loss to Arkansas.
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