Tag: denver harris

LSU Injury Report: Zy Alexander out vs. Alabama, could miss ‘significant period of time’

With Zy Alexander possibly set to miss significant time, LSU’s struggling secondary will be even further strained.

LSU’s secondary has had its fair share of struggles this season, and as it prepares for the most important game of the season on the road against Alabama, it’s decently shorthanded.

Zy Alexander, who suffered an injury against Army, is unavailable this weekend and possibly beyond as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Monday he could be set to miss a “significant period of time.”

Alexander has been LSU’s best cornerback this year, and his absence will hurt a team that is also without transfer corners [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] for undisclosed reasons.

Add in an injury to defensive tackle [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] that will likely cost him the remainder of the season, and LSU’s defense is not in an ideal spot coming into this game.

In the secondary, LSU will likely turn to [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag] as well as true freshmen like [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag], who Kelly said will return to practice Monday, as well as [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag], who hasn’t repped at corner in-game but has received praise from Kelly.

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Brian Kelly details Jalen Milroe’s improvement at Alabama

Jalen Milroe didn’t start the season on the best note, but he’s playing quite a bit better now.

LSU will be facing a different Alabama starting quarterback on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa than in last year’s win.

Bryce Young has moved on, and this is now Jalen Milroe’s team. After a rough start to the season that even saw his apparent benching, Milroe has been playing much better in recent weeks.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] detailed that improvement at his press conference on Monday.

“I think at first there was this sense that he was just going to run all over the place… He is a threat to run, there’s no doubt about that,” Kelly said. “But he’s going to stand in the pocket, he’s going to throw the football. And the way they create offense is through a balance of running the football, formationing you so you can get some shots down the field.

“And he throws the ball well. And he can hit the open targets, he can push the ball downfield. So I think what he’s done really well is when he’s been given the opportunity to take shots down the field, he’s hooked up. He hasn’t missed receivers. When they’ve created the opportunities, he’s come through for them. And I think that’s been impressive.”

The deep ball has certainly been Milroe’s best friend this season, and that’s a concern for an LSU secondary that will be without [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] in addition to [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag], who haven’t been available in several weeks.

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LSU secondary struggling with injuries, absences during bye week

LSU only had one player returning to this year’s secondary from last year.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] swung for the fences in the transfer portal as he picked up an entire secondary for his first year on the Bayou. That worked for last season, but it left the Tigers thin for this year.

LSU only had one player returning to this year’s secondary from last year. Kelly had to dive back into the transfer portal to find an all-new secondary. Kelly picked up four solid defensive backs from the portal ([autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag], [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag]).

Those guys would make up a pretty solid secondary but there is only one issue: We didn’t account for injuries.

If the Alabama game were to be played this week, all four of those guys would likely be inactive for that pivotal game. Johnson suffered an injury during fall camp that required season-ending surgery and Alexander suffered a leg injury against Army that could cause him to lose some time.

As for Chestnut and Harris, here is what Kelly had to say about them.

“All I can tell you is they’re on scholarship, they’re enrolled in school, but right now, they are not participating,” Kelly said earlier this week, per On3. “They’re still in the program. They’re still in good standing. But they are not able to play right now. Let’s leave it at that. Let’s be patient. We’ll see what happens down the road.”

It has been tough sledding for this secondary all season long, and LSU needs all hands on deck if it wants to beat Alabama.

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A look at the young corners LSU will rely on down the stretch

LSU’s cornerback room is growing thin. Here are the young corners that will see an increase in playing time because of it.

LSU lost another corner when [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] left the Army game with an injury.

There were questions about the cornerback room entering the year, and just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

[autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] suffered a serious leg injury in training camp. [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] have been in and out of the lineup for what appears to be disciplinary reasons, though [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] hasn’t said specifically why Chestnut is currently unavailable. And now Alexander, LSU’s most experienced corner, is out for the foreseeable future.

There was optimism about all four of those names when they arrived from the transfer portal, but it now looks like LSU will be without all four against Alabama next week.

That leaves LSU relying on some young guns that have seen minimal snaps so far. Let’s dive in and take a look at who LSU will need to perform against ‘Bama.

Latest update on injury to LSU cornerback Zy Alexander

Zy Alexander exited the Army win with a lower leg injury, and his status moving forward is unclear.

LSU got the big 62-0 win over Army on Saturday night in Week 8, but the team didn’t emerge entirely unscathed despite not giving up a point.

Cornerback [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag], a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana who has started all eight games on the outside, left the game with a lower leg injury. He reportedly could not put weight on his ankle and was ruled out.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] didn’t have much to update about Alexander immediately following the game. He said the team would have a clearer picture surrounding the extent of his injury in the coming days.

It’s unclear if Alexander will return for the Alabama game, and if he doesn’t, LSU’s depth will be strained. With [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] already out for a lengthy period of time, [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] away from the team and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] inactive against Army, the Tigers had to rely on two true freshmen in [autotag]Jeremiah Hughes[/autotag] and [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag], as well as [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag].

Safety/nickel [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] can also play outside corner, and [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag], who missed Saturday night’s game with an injury, is expected to return during the bye week.

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Brian Kelly provides another update on CB Duce Chestnut’s status with team

Brian Kelly said that Duce Chestnut remains on scholarship but is currently inactive.

LSU’s already thin secondary has been without one of its major offseason additions in recent weeks.

Cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag], a transfer pickup from Syracuse this past spring, is currently away from the team for undisclosed reasons and has not played since the Week 4 win over Arkansas.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has said multiple times that a decision on Chestnut’s future with the team would be made soon, but in his latest update on Thursday, he provided little new information other than saying that Chestnut is inactive but remains on scholarship.

“Duce is inactive,” Kelly said. “He is still on scholarship, he is still on the roster, but he’s inactive right now.”

Without Chestnut, LSU has leaned heavily on a pair of other transfers in [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], which has represented the starting outside duo in recent weeks.

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Brian Kelly provides brief update on Duce Chestnut’s status with team

Duce Chestnut is still away from the team, and Brian Kelly said he will likely be able to provide more information next week.

LSU’s secondary has had some struggles so far this season, and one of its top offseason additions is currently away from the team.

Syracuse transfer cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] began the season as a starter but was quickly supplanted by fellow transfer [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag]. After appearing in the first four games, Chestnut has missed the last two with coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] only offering that he was away from the team.

Kelly was asked again about Chestnut’s status on Thursday, but he provided little news on that front. He said he would meet with Chestnut again in the coming days and likely would have another update next week.

Chestnut entered the year expected to be a major contributor, but he’s one of several offseason additions that haven’t really panned out so far.

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LSU cornerback Duce Chestnut not currently with team, Brian Kelly says

Brian Kelly said a decision on Duce Chestnut’s future with the team will be made in the coming weeks.

LSU’s already struggling secondary took another hit this week as [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] announced Thursday that Syracuse transfer cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] is not currently with the team.

According to Kelly, a decision on Chestnut’s future with the program will be made in the next few weeks, though he declined to go into further detail.

Chestnut was a Freshman All-American with the Orange and an All-ACC honorable mention last season. He began the year as a starter, appearing in the first four games, though he was supplanted in the starting lineup by fellow transfer [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag].

In those four games, Chestnut totaled four tackles with an interception, putting him in a tie for the team lead.

Chestnut did not travel with the team to Oxford, Mississippi, this past weekend for what Kelly only called a coach’s decision at the time. Now, an LSU defensive backs group that also lost cornerback transfer [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] with a leg injury before the season is even thinner.

It’s unclear if Chestnut will return to the team at some point, but in the meantime, Harris and [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] — another transfer — will likely be the starting cornerback duo.

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What happened to LSU’s defense?

LSU’s defense should never be this bad.

LSU’s defense shouldn’t be this bad. It doesn’t make sense.

The unit reached a new low on Saturday night, allowing over 700 yards and 55 points to Ole Miss.

The Rebel offense is good, and Lane Kiffin is one of the best playcallers in the country. But it’s an offense that only scored 10 points the week prior. Not unstoppable by any means.

So, how did LSU, a defense filled with four and five-star recruits, allow 700 yards?

This is a unit that finished last year ranked as the 26th-best defense in the nation, according to ESPN’s SP+ metric.

Plenty of the guys that made that happen returned.[autotag] Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] was an All-American, and [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] was talked about with the best defenders in America.

Talented transfers were added too, from linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] to cornerback [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag].

Sure, there were losses. LSU lost both starting defensive ends and its top corners. But the returning talent was supposed to overshadow the losses.

Through five games, LSU’s 115th in scoring defense and 116th in yards/play. The Tigers rank outside the top 115 in late down and red zone defense too. It’s hard to imagine it getting any worse.

Defensive coordinator [autotag]Matt House[/autotag] was being considered for head coaching jobs last year. Now LSU fans are calling for his job.

While the offense has taken off, the defense has regressed.

It doesn’t get any easier this week. LSU’s set to face Missouri and the SEC’s leading receiver, Luther Burden. Missouri ranks 20th in yards per play and fourth in yards per pass.

If LSU doesn’t figure things out this week, what happened in Oxford could happen in Missouri.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] reaffirmed his trust in House and offered a reminder that nobody else is walking through that door. LSU has to work with what they have now.

You would think that should be enough. Again, this is the same talent that led LSU to a top-30 defense last year.

Maybe this defense hears all the noise and decides to come out and play the best game of its life. Who knows at this point?

Kelly and House know what the expectation is. Kelly said it himself on Monday.

LSU reaching a NY6 at this point isn’t out of the question even if its playoff hopes are all but dead.

If the defense figures it out, LSU can reenter the national discussion, but it needs to be figured out soon or Kelly’s going to feel the pressure to make a change at DC.

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NEW: LSU cornerback JK Johnson likely out for the year after undergoing surgery

JK Johnson underwent successful surgery on his left leg and will be out until December, at the earliest.

LSU’s secondary took a major blow in fall camp when Ohio State transfer [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag], who was expected to compete for a starting spot at outside cornerback, went down with a leg injury.

Now, it seems that Johnson is unlikely to return to the Tigers in 2023.

On Wednesday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said that Johnson underwent successful surgery to repair a left leg fracture and will be out until December, at the very earliest. This means that if Johnson were to play, it likely wouldn’t be until the postseason.

A former top-100 recruit, Johnson played in 15 games with five starts in two seasons with the Buckeyes.

Without Johnson, LSU has turned to transfers [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] and [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag], though [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] — another transfer — got the start against Grambling in his debut with the Tigers and could be moving toward the full-time starting role.

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