LSU coach Brian Kelly updates Tigers' injuries heading into SEC stretch

LSU left little question of the outcome Saturday in its 38-0 shutout of New Mexico.

But the Tigers did leave with some questions about some key players' health with the SEC gauntlet of six straight conference games over seven weeks ahead.

Fortunately, coach Brian Kelly shared positive updates — arguably across the board — shortly after the victory and also spoke to the strong performances players have provided filling in for injured or absent teammates.

"There's two things here," he said. "One, we trust 'em. And if a guy goes down, we have no problem bringing the next guy in and giving them that opportunity. So I think they feel the trust from us. And then that gives them confidence that they can go in there and play at a high level.

"And that's kind of evolving as we go along where we're not wringing our hands. Do we want B.J. Ojulari out there? Absolutely. But we know the next guy's going to go out there and play well. Do we want Kayshon (Boutte) out there? Absolutely. But it was great that he was with his girlfriend and there for the birth, and Jack Bech steps up. So I think we're in a very fortunate position that we have that. Let's try to get 'em all on the field at one time and see what happens, too. That would be nice as well."

Junior quarterback Jayden Daniels left mid-drive during the third quarter after a hard hit slung him to the ground onto his left shoulder.

Medical personnel immediately examined the transfer from Arizona State and, Kelly said, cleared him to return.

But, with the Tigers in control, the team instead turned to redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier to rest the veteran heading into conference action.

"Jayden strained his lower back," Kelly said. "He could've went back in, but there was no need at that time of the game. So he was cleared by the doctors, so he's good."

Daniels finished 24-for-29 for 279 yards, and Nussmeier finished 9-for-10 for 135 yards and a score.

Running back Armoni Goodwin left early in the third after grabbing for the back of his leg after a short reception.

The sophomore has been among the bright spots for the Tigers' offense in recent weeks, including a pair of first-half touchdowns Saturday.

His exact status and timeline are not 100 percent clear entering the new week, but Kelly shared encouraging news of a hamstring — not a knee — injury that the coach said the team is "hopeful that that clears itself."

Star junior pass-rusher B.J. Ojulari remained in warm-ups Saturday to rest a "cranky" knee issue before the Tigers visit Auburn next week.

"It's the patella," Kelly said. "We work out on Saturdays. And when we went through our workouts, it was just cranky. And there was just no sense, especially in the position that he had. He was not going to get a ton of work where we had him in the jack position. He had the quarterback, and as you saw the ball was going out on the perimeter or they were running dive. So we just thought that it was best that we rest him and get him 100 percent."

Another absence Saturday was sophomore safety Major Burns, who had briefly exited LSU's game last week against Mississippi State after being shaken up during an otherwise solid performance.

The Tigers expect to be without the former Madison Prep star and Georgia transfer for at least another couple games, but are optimistic for his return potentially as early as mid-October.

"Major's situation is one where he's going to be lost probably for anywhere from three to six weeks with an upper neck injury," Kelly said. "I don't want to get into specifics when you're talking about a neck injury, but he's been cleared by all of the doctors. But it's gonna need some rest. It's probably gonna take between three and six weeks before we're gonna be able to get him back out on the field."