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LSU will seek a potential redshirt for Thaddeus Moss

Thaddeus Moss does not appear likely to play for LSU this season, coach Ed Orgeron admitted Wednesday.

The Tigers will seek a redshirt year for the sophomore tight end, the son of NFL Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Randy Moss, but are uncertain whether the NCAA will grant a second straight redshirt for the transfer from North Carolina State.

"I don't think Thaddeus is going to play this year," Orgeron said on his weekly radio show. "It doesn't look like it. He isn't complete healthy. We're gonna see if we can get a redshirt year out of him or not. He's a transfer, so I don't know if we can."

The younger Moss caught six passes for 49 yards and one touchdown for the Wolfpack before sitting out the 2017 season in Baton Rouge.

Garrett Brumfield 'about 60 percent'

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Senior guard Garrett Brumfield will miss a fourth straight game this weekend against Mississippi State and be reevaluated during the two-week lead-up to LSU's date with No. 1 Alabama.

"Brumfield is taking a little bit longer than we thought," Orgeron said. "He is not going to play this week. Obviously we've got an open date next week. We're gonna see where he's at the week after that. He's about 60 percent right now."

Brumfield is the last missing piece of the offensive line group that started the season for the Tigers.

Sophomore center Lloyd Cushenberry and junior right guard Damien Lewis have been the only players to start all seven games up front.

Sophomore left tackle Saahdiq Charles and junior lineman Adrian Magee have now been back in the lineup for two and three games, respectively — the latter working at left guard most recently.

Junior tackle Austin Deculus has started the past six games, most recently at right tackle.

Freshman guard Chasen Hines has played in three of the past four games, and junior tackle Badara Traore has played in all seven games, including a pair of fill-in starts.

Mississippi State RB Kylin Hill reminds Orgeron of Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Orgeron praised Mississippi State senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and the offensive weapons at his disposal.

Senior running back Aeris Williams gashed LSU for 146 yards on 23 carries in the Bulldogs' 2017 victory in the series.

And another running back may look somewhat familiar to LSU fans not so much for his two carries for 11 yards last year, as the similarities he bears to one of the Tigers' own standouts.

"Kylin Hill reminds me a lot of Clyde Edwards-Helaire," the coach said. "He's a good running back. He's strong. He can run inside. He can run outside."

The sophomore has rushed the ball 68 times for 474 yards — 7.0 yards per attempt and 79.0 per game — and three touchdowns.

Williams has added 201 yards and one score on 29 attempts — 6.9 yards per attempt and 40.2 per contest.

Fitzgerald actually leads the team with 513 yards and seven touchdowns on 98 rushes — 5.2 yards per carry and 102.6 per game.

The senior has completed 61 of his 123 passes (49.6 percent) for 709 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

'Another hard contest for our offensive line'

But the challenge Mississippi State presents starts with its defensive line, Orgeron said unsurprisingly.

"Jeffery Simmons is one of the best players in America," the coach said. "He's big, physical and strong. He's hard to block. He's very disruptive and plays with a high motor. Then you have Montez Sweat, who leads the league in sacks. We've got our hands full.

"Mississippi State is full of good athletes. They're hungry. They play defense the way it oughta be played. They're No. 1 in the SEC. This is gonna be another hard contest for our offensive line. We have to protect Joe Burrow. We feel that we can make some plays, but it all starts with protection. And we're gonna have to run the football."

The Bulldogs enter the weekend No. 1 nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 12.7 points per game, as well as No. 8 in total defense at 289.7 yards allowed per contest and No. 19 against the rush with opponents manning just 115.3 yards on the ground.

Mississippi State's 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.83 sacks per game rank No. 9 and No. 31 in the country, respectively.

And the Bulldogs are only allowing opponents to convert 25.9 percent of their third-down attempts, the sixth-stingiest mark among all Division-I FBS programs.

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