LSU should sit top rusher in Peach Bowl
BATON ROUGE, La. – As talented as Clyde Edwards-Helaire is, the LSU running back should not play when the the No. 1 Tigers face No. 4 Oklahoma in their College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.
Edwards-Helaire suffered a hamstring injury last Tuesday, putting his availability in doubt. LSU coach Ed Orgeron, speaking Monday in Atlanta, was non-committal about his running back’s ability to play Saturday.
“Clyde is a little bit better and we talked,” Orgeron said. “He’s off the crutches and the scooter and we’re going to see if he can do something tomorrow. It’s going to be a day-by-day deal, but he’s a little bit better than what I thought last week. He has a chance to play.”
Even if Edwards-Helaire does progress well enough to where he could play – say 80-85% – he should sit out. If the national championship game was Saturday, yes. But this is the game to get to the championship game.
Hamstrings are high-maintenance injuries. They tend to recur. It is usually best to have about two weeks off before returning.
Edwards-Helaire could aggravate the injury if he comes back too soon. Then he could be either out or mostly ineffective in the national title game.
LSU or Oklahoma will face the winner of the Fiesta Bowl between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson. The national championship game is Jan. 13 in New Orleans.
If Edwards-Helaire does not play Saturday, he will have almost four weeks of rehabilitation. That is enough time to be 100%, or very close to it.
It’s worth the risk. The Tigers are a 121⁄2-point favorite. Oklahoma has three players suspended, including sophomore defensive end Ronnie Perkins, one of its best players. Perkins leads the team with six sacks and is second with 131⁄2 tackles for loss.
Also unavailable will be running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who is third on the team in rushing with 576 yards, and reserve wide receiver Trejean Bridges.
Sooners coach Lincoln Riley also said Monday that starting safety Delarrin Turner-Yell is expected to miss the game because of an injury.
Edwards-Helaire is a three-tool offensive star for LSU. He is No. 2 in the Southeastern Conference in all-purpose yardage with 146.3 per game. He has 1,290 yards rushing on 197 carries, 399 receiving on 50 receptions, and 214 on 10 kickoff returns.
But LSU is good enough to beat Oklahoma without him. It might need him to beat Ohio State or Clemson. He was critical in the team’s defeat of Alabama, rushing 20 times for 103 yards with three touchdowns and catching nine passes for 77 yards with a touchdown in the 46-41 win.
“Week in, week out, he wants it,” LSU pass game coordinator Joe Brady said after the Tigers defeated Georgia in the SEC championship game.
“Pass game, run game, no matter what,” Brady said. “Clyde is going to be able to make the play. I think a lot of people seem surprised at the success he’s having. People in our room, that was exactly what we were expecting to have.”
LSU does have capable backs behind Edwards-Helaire. Tyrion Davis-Price can do the job as he is a powerful inside runner. Fellow freshman John Emery Jr. would be a nice change of pace as he is a dangerous outside runner.
With quarterback Joe Burrow and LSU’s passing attack along with what appears to be an improving defense, LSU will be able to make up the difference, particularly with Oklahoma’s Perkins out.
So Edwards-Helaire should take a load off to get ready for the biggest game of his life – on Jan. 13.