LSU Tigers offensive lineman Miles Frazier (70) and lineman Will Campbell (66) look to pass block the Florida State Seminoles defense in the fourth quarter of the Allstate Louisiana Kickoff on Sunday, September 4, 2022 Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
LSU Tigers offensive lineman Miles Frazier (70) and lineman Will Campbell (66) look to pass block the Florida State Seminoles defense in the fourth quarter of the Allstate Louisiana Kickoff on Sunday, September 4, 2022 Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
No. 25 LSU lost a key piece of its offensive line before it even kicked off against No. 8 Tennessee on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.
School officials confirmed just hours before the 11 a.m. kickoff that starting left tackle Will Campbell would not play in the key Southeastern Conference game.
Campbell posted on Instagram a picture of himself in a hospital bed Friday night. The image showed Campbell forming the letter “L” with his right hand and included the caption: “Appreciate all the prayers I'll be back.”
LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said Saturday morning that Campbell was suffering from dehydration.
Campbell was stricken during a walk-through practice late Friday afternoon and taken from the field by ambulance to the hospital. The true freshman from Monroe remained hospitalized Saturday afternoon.
After LSU’s 40-13 loss, coach Brian Kelly said Campbell had an “episode,” but medical personnel didn’t know what the problem was after Campbell went through a battery of tests.
Early results showed nothing that was life-threatening or was deemed to be a serious medical condition, the coach said.
“That’s a positive thing,” Kelly said before noting Campbell will have more tests before being released. “I was told by someone that it maybe had to do with dehydration. I don’t know if that’s the only thing.”
The second-highest-rated prospect in LSU's 2022 recruiting class, Campbell earned the starting spot midway through spring practice and quickly established himself as an integral piece of the offensive line.
With Campbell out, LSU used a different starting offensive line for the fifth time in six games with junior Anthony Bradford stepping in for Campbell at left tackle.
Bradford started three of the first five games at right guard.
The Tigers’ offensive line suffered another blow early in the second quarter when left guard Garrett Dellinger left the game with a knee injury.
Dellinger missed last week’s game at Auburn with a fractured right hand that required surgery and was playing with a cast when he was injured with 14:33 left in the second quarter.
Kelly said the preliminary diagnosis on Dellinger is a knee strain.
“He had a knee brace on, that’s the good news,” Kelly said. “We’ll get an MRI and have more information in the next news conference (Monday).”
Sophomore Xavier Hill replaced Dellinger for the rest of the game.
Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman didn’t play after having a surgical procedure on his ankle during the Vols’ open date last week.
Tillman was hurt in a Sept. 17 win over Akron and also missed Tennessee’s game with Florida a week later. He averaged 82.0 yards receiving in the three games he played in.
Also, starting left tackle Gerald Mincey did not make the trip with an undisclosed injury.
Heisman Trophy candidate Hendon Hooker extended an impressive streak of pass attempts without an interception Saturday.
Hooker put the ball in the air 27 times against LSU and now has thrown 239 passes in a row without being picked off. The last time he threw one was in the second quarter of a 41-17 loss to Georgia on Nov. 13.
The 239 consecutive passes without an interception is the sixth-longest in SEC history. Kentucky’s Andre Woodson holds the record with 325 from the 2006-07 seasons.
Hooker’s streak continued, but Jayden Daniels’ ended.
Daniels, who threw 45 passes Saturday, had a streak of 175 consecutive passes without an interception end when Tennessee safety Trevon Flowers got him in the end zone with nine seconds left in the game.
The streak was the second-longest in a season for an LSU quarterback. Joe Burrow had 187 consecutive attempts in 2019 without a pick and had 159 in a row in 2018, which Daniels surpassed.
LSU hasn’t been able to get out of its own way at the start of its four games against Power Five competition.
In the first quarters against Florida State, Mississippi State, Auburn and Tennessee, LSU has been outscored 26-3. LSU’s only points came against Florida State.
The Tigers did outscore Southern and New Mexico 47-0 in the first quarter.
LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who had 14 touchdown catches in his first 16 collegiate games, got his first this season on a 5-yard pass from Daniels in the fourth quarter. … LSU backup linebacker West Weeks suffered a lower left leg injury while blocking on a kickoff return in the second quarter. … According to Caesars Sportsbook, Tennessee was a 2½-point favorite at kickoff after being favored by 3 to 3½ points most of the week.
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