In the span of about four hours on Wednesday, the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl has taken some serious twists and turns.
First came news that a trio of Oklahoma players were set to be suspended for the game, including the Sooners’ top pass rusher. Now word has leaked out of Baton Rouge that one of LSU’s best players could be out for an entirely different reason.
According to a report from Sports Illustrated, Tigers tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire was injured during the team’s Tuesday practice and his status for the semifinal is now “in doubt” as a result. A hamstring issue is initially suspected though a later report from The Athletic noted that the injury was a non-contact one that led to the junior going down.
Needless to say, even with the Heisman Trophy winner leading the potent offensive attack, the loss of Edwards-Helaire would be a significant one for Ed Orgeron’s team. The tailback has rushed for 1,290 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, coming on particularly strong down the stretch as defenses have adjusted to deal with Joe Burrow more and more.
Maybe more pressing is that Edwards-Helaire is LSU’s leading rusher by nearly 1,000 yards and his two backups are both freshman with limited touches in big games. Orgeron is expected to give an update later on Wednesday evening but the outlook for the Peach Bowl certainly feels a bit different with just under 10 days to go from one of the most important games of the season on tap.