BATON ROUGE — LSU put on full pads for the first time on Friday as the ninth-ranked Tigers held their first workout as an entire unit here at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
The Tigers practiced only one time on Friday, which will be followed by two practices on Saturday and a light workout on Sunday. The Tigers will also participate in Media Day and Fan Day activities on the LSU campus on Sunday.
“The first day in pads had both the young guys and the veterans together and it looked good” LSU coach Les Miles told the media following the workout. “The first day in pads was a little sloppy, but we had some enthusiasm. It was a good physical practice and we got after it on both sides of the ball. I enjoyed what I saw today.”
Miles continued to be pleased with the progress of running backs Alley Broussard and Justin Vincent, who are both coming back from knee injuries. Broussard hasn’t played in a game since the Iowa contest in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, 2005.
“Both Justin and Alley went through the entire practice and they both practiced well,” Miles said. “Alley looks to be improving daily and Justin is not ready to play yet, but he’s making progress. Justin still appears to be ahead of Alley.”
Miles said he is impressed with the conditioning level the team has shown during the first week of practice.
“We had a really long go with sprints at the end of practice and the team ran really well,” Miles said. “I like where we are going. We are not there yet; we still have a long ways to go to be ready to play, but we are taking the right steps.”
Miles also complimented the freshmen class, who spent their first day practicing with the veterans.
“I am really impressed with the young guys,” Miles said. “I think certain positions take longer then others. I think the offensive line takes a little bit more time to get there feet on the ground and see how they need to line up. For the most part they are picking things up pretty quickly.”
LSU opens its season on Sept. 2 when the Tigers host Louisiana-Lafayette at 7 p.m. in Tiger Stadium.