Caden Durham injury: LSU's top RB (ankle) out for showdown at No. 13 Ole Miss

No. 4 LSU will be without one of its top offensive weapons for Saturday's showdown at No. 13 Ole Miss. Running back Caden Durham, the leader of the Tigers' backfield, will not suit up against the Rebels after LSU listed him as out on the SEC availability report. Durham injured his ankle last week against Southeastern Louisiana and has been listed as questionable in the lead-up to Week 5.

Durham is the clear-cut front man in the Tigers' running back group with 52 carries, 213 yards and two touchdowns through four appearances -- significantly more production than the two other ballcarriers who have seen meaningful action, Harlem Berry and Ju'Juan Johnson.

"Time. It's really an element of time. He's gotten better each day, but we've gotta take Friday, we've gotta take right up to Saturday before we make a decision on him and give him a chance," LSU coach Brian Kelly said Thursday. "He wants to play, so we told him the only way this is gonna work is if we give you the whole week and right up to game time. His status is the same."

Johnson could be the next man up with Durham out. He handled a season-high eight carries last week with Durham out for part of the 56-10 win and accumulated 43 yards and two touchdowns. He has also been involved as a receiver and caught five passes in the season opener. Berry could also see an uptick in action after taking 15 carries for 87 yards in Weeks 1-4.

SEC football schedule: Alabama vs. LSU, Florida vs. Tennessee big misses in league's annual opponents model

Will Backus

Even though Durham was head and shoulders above the rest of the group in playing time, he left something to be desired in total production as the Tigers offense fell surprisingly flat in their first four games. LSU ranks just 112th nationally in team rushing yards per game at 116.8, and some of that rests on Durham's shoulders. The lackluster offensive line has ample room for improvement, too, as a sizable part of that equation.

The Tigers expelled some of their offensive demons last week against an FCS opponent, but it remains to be seen whether that can carry back over to SEC play. Prior to their rout of Southeastern Louisiana, the Tigers ranked dead last among undefeated teams in points per game (20.0), yards per game (345.7), yards per play (5.3) and EPA per play (-0.04). Losing Durham for a conference game against a top-15 opponent, on paper, does nothing to help LSU improve its offensive stock.