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LSU coach Les Miles addressed an important player absence in his Wednesday press conference.
Senior wide receiver Early Doucet, who strained his groin in practice before the Sept. 15 Middle Tennessee game, is not expected to dress out Saturday against Florida.
"It appears that Doucet is really getting better, but it would be hard-pressed for me to say that he'd play on Saturday," Miles said. "But he's sure working hard to make it back."
Doucet has been practicing with the team, catching passes and running routes. Miles said he has worked out progressively more each day.
"He's feeling good, things are coming [along]," he said. "He's probably just not as strong as he'd like to be."
Miles said the younger receivers would have to step up in Doucet's absence, especially in such a big game.
LSU completed 17 of 32 passes against Tulane for 257 yards.
Sophomore Brandon LaFell had four catches for 76 yards. Junior Demetrius Byrd and sophomore Chris Mitchell each had three catches for 69 and 32 yards, respectively.
The Tigers will also rely on freshmen Richard Murphy and Terrance Toliver and sophomores Jared Mitchell, Trindon Holliday and tight end Richard Dickson.
"We'll probably go with the guys that we went with last week at wide receiver," Miles said. "They're getting better on every snap. They had a good practice [Wednesday], and Brandon LaFell's leadership [has improved] as well."
Miles said he planned to run a two-quarterback system against Florida similar to the one used Sept. 22 against South Carolina.
Senior quarterback Matt Flynn completed eight-of-19 passes for 70 yards against the Gamecocks, and sophomore Ryan Perrilloux had 62 yards on eight carries. The Tigers totaled 360 offensive yards in that game.
Miles said he hopes the team will play far better than they did against the Gators this past season, and some changes have been made since the 23-10 loss Oct. 7, 2006.
"We're looking to quarterback carry and the opportunity that we have a more mobile quarterback [than this past season]," Miles said. "That might well be the change we've made in our offense. The issue with that game was, as I recall, five turnovers that JaMarcus [Russell, former LSU quarterback] was a part of."
Freshman tight end Jordon Corbin is recovering from knee surgery, and Miles said he expected him to dress out Saturday. Junior defensive tackle Charles Alexander is expected to have knee surgery soon, and senior offensive lineman Will Arnold is still out because of a viral infection.
"It's going to take some time for [Arnold] to get back," Miles said. "We hope [he gets well] soon because he's a tremendous competitor, and we miss him."
--- Contact Krysten Oliphant at koliphant@lsureveille.com
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