Anderson, Shelvin in; Brumfield out; Moss still questionable: LSU notebook

BATON ROUGE, La. — Prepare for another shuffle of players in and out of the lineup.

Coach Ed Orgeron confirmed wide receiver Dee Anderson and nose tackle Tyler Shelvin are back with the team and eligible to play in Saturday’s SEC showdown with No. 22 Mississippi State. Left guard Garrett Brumfield, who was expected to be ready to go for this week’s game, is doubtful to play and received the “very questionable” tag. The status of tight end Thaddeus Moss, who practiced all week but has yet to play in a game for the Tigers, remains up in the air.

“I don’t think Garrett Brumfield will be ready this week,” Orgeron said during his Monday press conference. “He’s very questionable.”

“Tyler Shelvin and Dee Anderson will both be back,” he continued.

“I’m trying to figure it out myself,” Orgeron said when asked about Moss’ availability. “Sometimes he practices and feels better. It's a lingering injury. When it comes to game time, he doesn't feel like he's full speed. It's something that he's not completely healed. We want it to heal a lot faster, but it's not healing the way we want it. He wants to play. When he tries to play, he can't. It’s one of those things.”

Brumfield has missed three games since suffering a leg injury against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 22. Donavaughn Campbell started the following week at home against Ole Miss. Adrian Magee, who opened the year as the starting right tackle, returned back from injury and started each of the past two games against Florida and Georgia.

Magee drew the start at left guard this past week, marking the first time LSU had started the same five linemen up front this season. After one series, Magee was replaced by Chasen Hines. The truth freshman finished out the game and could be in line to start against State this weekend.

“He did very well,” Orgeron said of Hines. “He’s very athletic. Sometimes, he’s a little unsure of himself. He didn't really let loose, explode like he can. He was a defensive lineman also, so (he) can come out of his hips. He's very strong. He's very smart. Knows his plays. He’s athletic, can move his feet, handle one-on-one blocks. We feel you're going to see a lot more of him this week.”

The defeat in Starkville, Miss., a year ago forced Orgeron to bulk up the team from the inside out.

After the 37-7 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs last September, LSU’s coach turned to the junior college ranks to bring in offensive tackle Badara Traore, offensive guard Damien Lewis and defensive end Travez Moore. Traore has seen action in each of the team’s seven games this season, including taking over at right tackle for an injured Magee against Miami in Week 1 and drawing starts against Southeastern and Louisiana Tech at both tackle spots. Lewis has been a constant at right guard, earning the job once incumbent Edward Ingram was handed a suspension from the team. Moore has slowly carved out a larger role on defense the past two weeks at Florida and against Georgia as defensive coordinator Dave Aranda tinkers with ways to generate a pass rush.

Defensive linemen Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat continue to stick in the back of Orgeron’s mind dating back to last year’s contest.

“(They) out-physicaled us last year on both sides of the football. We still have that taste in our mouth,” he said. “Jeffery Simmons is probably the defensive tackle in the country. Montez Sweat is one of the best pass-rushers. They have skill people. This is going to be a tremendous challenge.”

In addition to the three junior college additions, Orgeron sought out multiple offensive and defensive linemen in an effort to toughen the team in the trenches.

The Tigers’ 2018 signing class featured 11 linemen, six on the defensive side of the ball and another five on offense, with freshmen Dare Rosenthal and Chase Hines making the move from defense to offense at different junctures in the season. That’s a combined 3,546 pounds of reinforcements in the form of depth up front, including more than 1,600 pounds of front-seven contributors and nearly 1,900 pounds to fortify the offensive line.

It’s fair to suggest LSU’s struggles against State a year ago flipped a switch for the way Orgeron wanted to re-construct his roster.

“The way we recruit … if you come to LSU, if you coach at LSU, physicality is a part of your DNA,” he stated. “That's always been LSU football. Some people like that, some people don't. The people that don't don't come here.”

As much as Simmons created problems for LSU up front in 2017, quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was equally as troubling.

Fitzgerald spearheaded a Mississippi State offense that amassed 465 yards of total offense, including 285 yards on the ground. Both were season-highs against Aranda’s defense that only allowed one team to eclipse 200 yards rushing the rest of the way. Fitzgerald threw for 180 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 90 with two more scores, helping his team to post 30 unanswered points.

Dan Mullen was the coach of the Bulldogs in that tilt. Former Penn State assistant Joe Moorhead is overlooking this Mississippi State squad, and offensively, both units share multiple similarities in the way they attack, most notably with RPOs and “check-with-me” style of plays.

“He’s a very dangerous runner. He can pick and choose his holes. He likes to run them between the tackles. (He’s a) big, strong, quarterback,” Orgeron said. “There's a lot of the same plays … a lot of the same plays. (They’re) very, very similar.”

JaCoby Stevens played one snap against Georgia. He sacked Jake Fromm to stymie the Bulldogs amid a fourth-quarterback comeback. Jontre Kirklin, who switched from cornerback to slot receiver last Monday, secured his first reception and had a rush for a combined 7 yards.

Both sophomores made their presences felt in Saturday’s 36-16 romping of the No. 2 team in the country — just as fellow sophomore Racey McMath two weeks prior as a move-tight end against Ole Miss, corralling his first two receptions of the season in a sub-package. That's a trend unfolding under Orgeron.

“We feel JaCoby Stevens is an outstanding athlete. We need to find him some places to stay,” Orgeron said, adding that “one play, one sack — that’s pretty good ratio.”

“We always are looking at our roster,” he continued. “I don't like sitting on the sideline. When I see 11 guys on the football field, I see a better athlete sitting on the sideline, that's not LSU football. We want to put our athletes in the best position to make plays. That's my job.”