An emerging storyline surrounding Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford, Mississippi has nothing to do with the former Ole Miss coach himself.
Instead, the focus has shifted to who LSU's quarterback will be when the Tigers open SEC play Saturday night.
Sam Leavitt, who transferred from Arizona State and started the Tigers' first two games of the season, was listed as doubtful on LSU's initial SEC availability report on Wednesday, Sept. 16. That had created uncertainty for the top-10 showdown, just days before Kiffin's highly anticipated return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Leavitt, who helped LSU to a Week 1 win over Clemson to open up the season, did not
have a clean start against Louisiana Tech in Week 2 from a passing standpoint: He turned the ball over three times and took five sacks despite throwing for 344 yards. He ran for three touchdowns on 22 rushing yards.
The Tigers and Rebels are set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday. Here's the latest on Leavitt's injury:
Is Sam Leavitt playing vs Ole Miss Saturday? Latest status on LSU QB
Leavitt was initially listed on Wednesday, Sept. 16 as doubtful for LSU's SEC opener on Saturday against Ole Miss, but one day later, he was upgraded to questionable. On Sept. 18, he was off the injury report entirely.
Sam Leavitt injury update
It remains unclear how, when, or if Leavitt got injured between the end of LSU's Week 2 game against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 12 and LSU's initial report on Sept. 16.
Leavitt, who spoke with reporters after his game vs. the Bulldogs, did not indicate he had been hurt in the game. The Arizona State quarterback does have some injury history, however.
Last season with the Sun Devils, Leavitt missed the last month of the regular season due to a season-ending right foot injury that required surgery. As noted by The Daily Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network, Leavitt missed a majority of LSU's spring practice in March and April recovering from the foot surgery he underwent with the Sun Devils.
He was fully cleared to participate in football activities right before the Tigers began their summer workout program.
Who is Sam Leavitt's backup QB?
LSU's backup quarterbacks are Elon transfer Landen Clark and Southern California transfer Husan Longstreet. Clark has seen more snaps as Leavitt's backup this season, while Longstreet did not participate in the Louisiana Tech game.
Sam Leavitt stats
Here's a look at Leavitt's stats from his first two stats at LSU:
- vs. Clemson: 16-of-28 passing (57.1%) for 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception; 12 carries for 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns
- vs. Louisiana Tech: 25-of-38 passing (65.8%) for 344 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions; 11 carries for 22 rushing yards and three touchdowns
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Sam Leavitt play for LSU vs Ole Miss? Injury updates for Tigers' QB
