LSU DT Maason Smith Ruled Out vs. FSU After Suffering Knee Injury While Celebrating

The LSU Tigers and Florida State Seminoles hit the field for a matchup at Caesars Superdome on Sunday night, and Brian Kelly's side lost a key defender early in the evening.

Tigers defensive tackle Maason Smith suffered a knee injury while celebrating a stop on 2nd-and-7 from the 26-yard line. Smith jumped up to celebrate before he landed and appeared to tweak his knee.

Smith was looked at for several minutes in the medical tent before walking back to the locker room with a noticeable limp.

Smith, who was spotted on crutches after halftime, was ruled out for the remainder of the game early in the third quarter.

The Houma, Louisiana, native committed to LSU in December 2020 out of Terrebonne High School. He also had offers from the Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Ole Miss Rebels and Michigan Wolverines, among others.

The 6'5", 316-pound defensive lineman was the 20th-ranked prospect in the 2021 class and the top-ranked recruit out of Louisiana, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He was also the fifth-ranked defensive lineman behind Korey Foreman, J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer and Leonard Taylor.

Smith had a solid freshman season with the Tigers in 2021, posting four sacks, 19 tackles and five tackles for a loss in seven games en route to being named a Freshman All-American.

The LSU defense will suffer if Smith is sidelined for any period of time, as he is expected to play a significant role for the Tigers in his second season.

Sunday's game marks the first of the 2022 season for LSU. Florida State already has a win under its belt with a 47-7 victory over Duquesne on Aug. 27.