Football: Randle grabs five receptions while suffering from tendinitis

LSU junior wide receiver Rueben Randle's eyes lit up when he heard his name called for LSU's first offensive play Saturday against Northwestern State.

"I was anxious to get out there and run that play," Randle said. "I knew it was going to work because they were a man [coverage] team and that was something we had worked on all week."

Senior quarterback Jarrett Lee took the snap from the Tigers' 33-yard line and saw Randle streaking down the field. The Demons had called a cornerback blitz, and Randle found himself in man coverage against a safety.

Randle cruised past the defender and reeled in the pass for a 43-yard gain.

"[LSU] coach [Les Miles] said before the game we're going to be aggressive, and that's what we came out and did," Randle said. "We took a shot at the beginning to let them know we're here."

That play was evidence of things to come as Randle brought in five receptions for 121 yards against the Demons, a significant improvement from his performance against Oregon on Sept. 3.

Randle had only one reception against the Ducks, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Lee, but struggled with tendinitis in his right knee throughout the game.

Randle said he was at 80 percent health against Oregon and had improved to about 90 percent against Northwestern State. He admitted his knee still felt sore Sunday, but the pain receded by Monday.

"It was something that kind of bothered me throughout camp," Randle said. "It was something I pushed through. I'm not going to let any nagging injury like this keep me out. I'm going to do everything I can to help this team, and that's what I did."

Randle also said Northwestern State's man coverage was easier to exploit than Oregon's zone coverage. The Ducks would bring help to suffocate Randle in LSU's opener.

"This week I was able to get loose more against Northwestern State," Randle said. "I really try to focus on beating [all coverages]. It's something I really worked on throughout the summer, and I've done a great job preparing for that."

The Bastrop, La., native worked during the offseason on getting in and out of breaks and improving his explosiveness out of cuts, and he said that work has made him a better receiver than he was a year ago.

"My patience has stepped up a lot more," Randle said. "I'm more focused on the things I need to do to get better as a receiver than I was in the past. It's something I really keyed in on this summer."

Randle played an integral role in LSU's passing offense, which threw for 225 yards against the Demons, its highest total since throwing for 258 yards against Ole Miss last season.

"When you can line up and get first downs and move the chains and have some big plays, that's what you want from a passing game," Miles said.

And many expect more big plays to come from Randle, who faced high expectations entering his junior season after notching 544 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 2010.

But his lack of an impact in the season opener raised eyebrows as younger receivers like freshman Odell Beckham Jr. stepped up in his stead.

Randle silenced any doubters against Northwestern State with the second 100-yard receiving performance of his career.

"It showed that I'm really prepared to step up and lead our receivers," Randle said. "They just created plays for me, and I did a great job of executing and making plays."

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Contact Hunter Paniagua at hpaniagua@lsureveille.com