The LSU Tigers saw two important stars go down during their loss to the Ole Miss Rebels: tight end Trey'Dez Green and defensive back Dashawn Spears.
The LSU Tigers lost to the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday night, a disappointing night for Lane Kiffin and everyone on the Tigers' side. Possibly the most important development, though, was the loss of both tight end Trey'Dez Green and safety Dashawn Spears.
Those are two very important players who both ended the night on crutches. The severity of those injuries could shift this season for the Tigers. Both are talents who are almost impossible to replace. Hopefully LSU will be able to come out with positive news about the two.
Starting with Green, he might be the single most important player on this offense. He is a safety blanket for a passing attack that has been, at best, uninspiring. When they aren't targeting Green or Winston Watkins Jr., it feels like nothing good is happening.
Sam Leavitt and the passing game have simply not shown enough through three games. Both of these past two games have started horribly through the air. They were eventually able to generate some explosive plays in the second half last week, but that is what they should have done against that level of competition. This week, the explosion never really came.
The loss of Green was already felt hard in this one game as the Tigers needed to come through with a score in the redzone in clutch time, and Leavitt didn't have his best option. There was a pass dropped by backup tight end Zach Grace that would have brought LSU within just the two-point conversion. It was a tough task on someone who doesn't normally catch passes, and the throw was slightly off as well. If it were Green, perhaps he scores.
There aren't many (or any other) 6-foot-7 weapons who move as Green does. Through two games, he has 14 catches for 202 yards and a score. Any extended absence will be felt hard.
The defense is more prepared to fill the gap left by Spears, but he's still an elite playmaker who they would rather have out on the field than not. His injury certainly looked ugly in the moment, so it would be a shock if this doesn't knock him out for a while.
Jhase Thomas came in to fill in for Spears after the game. Thomas is talented, but isn't known to be as impactful of a playmaker so far. Spears has a sky-high ceiling on defense and had been off to a nice start to the year.
