Ad Disclosure
Les Miles: 2013 starting center Elliott Porter unlikely to play Saturday
Published:
LSU senior center Elliott Porter, who started 12 of 13 games last season and is on the Rimington Trophy watch list, isn’t likely to play against Sam Houston State, Les Miles said Wednesday.
“Ethan Pocic will start at center; I don’t know that (Porter) will play in this one,” Miles said, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Porter was one of four players the team left in Baton Rogue for “disciplinary reasons,” though the team has not disclosed those reasons to the media.
The offensive line appeared confused in the first half against Wisconsin, particularly struggling to identify the Badgers’ stunts along the defensive line. It’s likely that a veteran center could’ve alleviated at least some of those difficulties, though Pocic and the line regrouped in the second half.
Evan Washington, a 6-foot-6, 334-pound senior listed as an offensive tackle, seems in line to back up Pocic against the Bearkats.
#LSU coach Les Miles: Evan Washington is the next guy in at 5 positions. He got reps at center today. Very bright, multiple skill sets.
— JimKleinpeter (@JimKleinpeter) September 3, 2014
The team also has relegated starting cornerback Rashard Robinson, also suspended against Wisconsin, to second-team status, though Miles didn’t specifically address whether Robinson will play Saturday.
Without knowing the nature of Porter’s offense, it’s tough to predict how long his apparent suspension will last. LSU plays Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 13 before launching into SEC play against a stout Mississippi State defense.
From a pure football standpoint, Porter is more of a known quantity. Pocic is a little thinner than Porter and three inches taller at 6-foot-7. He started against Furman last year in place of an injured Porter. With no disciplinary issues factoring in, LSU listed Porter, not Pocic, as the starter again this season.
It’s apparent that the coaches believe Porter is the better player right now, but young offensive linemen tend to get better the more they play. We’ll get another look at Pocic on Saturday.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
