BATON ROUGE – LSU will be at full strength in terms of injuries heading into Saturday’s game against West Virginia as offensive tackle Chris Faulk and punter Brad Wing returned to practice and will be in the lineup against the Mountaineers, head coach Les Miles said after practice on Wednesday.
Faulk missed all but one series against Mississippi State after injuring his ankle early in the first quarter in last Thursday’s win over the Bulldogs. Wing will be back in action this week after missing games against both Northwestern State and Mississippi State.
“Both Chris and Brad practiced today and will be ready to go on Saturday,” Miles said. “We should be a full strength going into this weekend, which is very encouraging. I like the fact that we get Brad back to handle punts.”
The second-ranked Tigers continued to prepare for their clash with 16th-ranked West Virginia with a two-hour workout indoors at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility on Wednesday. The Tigers will scale things back on Thursday followed by walk-thru on Friday morning. The team departs for Morgantown on Friday afternoon.
“I like how the week’s gone and I like the position that we are in heading into our last two days of preparation,” Miles said. “I think it’s going to be a very competitive game. I think our guys have to be ready to play again in a rough environment, but I think we’re prepared. We’re not quite there yet; we need polish on Thursday, but I like how it’s progressing.”
Another big addition to the lineup this week is that of junior wide receiver Russell Shepard, who missed the first three games of the year after being held out due to an NCAA issue. Shepard, who was still able to practice with the Tigers during his suspension, is expected to see action on both special teams and wide receiver against the Mountaineers.
“I have enjoyed Russell’s return to the team,” Miles said. “He’s got a lot of energy, and he’s certainly looking forward to playing a lot of football.”
One area of concern for the Tigers against West Virginia is slowing down the Mountaineers offensive attack, which is led by quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver Tavon Austin. Smith is a mobile quarterback who can make plays with his arm and his feet, while Austin is a dynamic playmaker.
“Both of those guys are very good,” Miles said. “We are going to have to do a good job of trying to contain them. I think the defensive line has to realize that there’s more than just to rush the passer. There are certain responsibilities that they have to maintain. The focus has certainly been rushing the passer, but it’s also been on screens and the multiplicity of their offense.”
West Virginia goes into the game averaging 42.0 points and 435 yards of offense per game. LSU’s defense is allowing just 12.0 points, 47.7 rushing yards and 207.7 total yards per game.