The nagging ankle injury that has hindered LSU running back Leonard Fournette for much of the season was aggravated again Saturday in the Tigers' 38-10 win over Arkansas, but it shouldn't prevent the junior from playing this week against Florida.
"Leonard is tough," LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron said on Monday, per The Advocate. "I think the ankle is a little sore. If he needs a day off Tuesday, he gets a day off. ... I do believe he's going to be fine."
Fournette exited the Arkansas game when Razorbacks 335-pound defensive tackle Bijhon Jackson dropped him in the backfield for a loss of five, and fell on Fournette's ankle in doing so. Fournette re-entered at one point, but eventually gave way to talented backup Derrius Guice. As a result, he was held under 100 yards for the second week in a row (17 for 98), while Guice exploded for 252 yards on 21 carries.
The Florida-LSU game, originally scheduled for Oct. 8 but postponed due to Hurricane Matthew, could have a significant impact on the SEC East race. The Gators enter the game with serious injury problems of their own, and its defense faces the challenge of stopping Fournette without star LB Jarrad Davis, DE Bryan Cox, Jr., and S Marcus Maye, among others.
Here's a look at other Monday injury updates from around college football:
» Houston QB Greg Ward, who has a shoulder injury, is not expected to miss Thursday's game against Louisville. The dynamic dual-threat quarterback first injured his throwing shoulder against Oklahoma in the Cougars' season opener, and aggravated the injury in a Week 11 win over Tulane. Coach Tom Herman said Ward has been getting "constant maintenance treatment," according to the Houston Chronicle.
» Washington not only lost its first game of the season Saturday against USC, but its leading tackler as well. LB Azeem Victor is likely out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair a leg fracture, coach Chris Petersen said. Victor, a junior, intends to return to UW next year rather than apply for early draft entry, according to the Seattle Times.
» Michigan QB Wilton Speight reportedly will miss Saturday's game against Indiana with a broken collarbone. The more pressing issue for the Wolverines, however, is whether Speight will be available a week later against rival Ohio State. Given a widely expected win over the Hoosiers, a playoff berth could be on the line for UM against the Buckeyes.
» Alabama OG Alphonse Taylor (concussion) is not expected to play again this season. UA coach Nick Saban said Monday that Taylor will continue to be evaluated, per the Alabama Media Group. Taylor hasn't played since suffering the injury against Arkansas on Oct. 8.
» Washington State WR River Cracraft has suffered a torn ACL on Saturday, according to ESPN. Cracraft had been QB Luke Falk's No. 2 receiver, behind Gabe Marks, with 53 catches for 701 yards.
» Texas Tech OL Justin Murphy is giving up football due to injuries, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Murphy had made eight starts this season but missed last week's game against Oklahoma State. Injuries shortened his 2015 season, as well.
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