Bearcats work through preseason injuries

Ruston left its preseason scrimmage against C.E. Byrd on Friday with two starters on offense injured with just under 10 days before the Bearcats open the regular season with Acadiana.

Two-time first team All- District lineman Sam Nations, a senior committed to Northwestern State, and sophomore tight end Ahmad Hudson got roughed up against the Yellowjackets after a handful of bang-bang plays in the live portion of the matchup. Thankfully for the Bearcats, head coach Jerrod Baugh doesn’t expect either injury to keep the players sidelined long-term.

Hudson, the No. 1 tight end in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports, is dealing with an injury to his right wrist after he landed on it following an incomplete pass in the scrimmage. Hudson wore a large, red cast to practice earlier this week and did not take part in the team drills with the firstteam offense.

Hudson also won’t play in the Bayou Jamb on Saturday, but Baugh said the timeline for his return appears to be better news than what was originally thought.

“It’s kind of openended right now. I think they’re going to do another checkup, and they’ll cut [the cast] off and do a re-evaluation and do another X-ray to see what it looks like,” Baugh said. “It’s kind of a weekly evaluation to see what’s going on. “ It was better news than what I thought. I thought originally it was looking like six weeks with what normally goes with what that kind of deal is. But I think they’re just going to evaluate it as we go so it’s kind of open-ended so that’s good news.”

Hudson finished with 5 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown last fall but, when healthy, is expected to play a big role in the passing game this season.

The injury to Nations came during typical lineman jostling up front in the scrimmage, with a helmet hitting his kneecap.

“Sam got hit on his kneecap during the scrimmage Friday and really didn’t bother him too bad over the weekend. And then he tried to jog around Sunday afternoon and it really bothered him,” Baugh said. “We took him Monday and got an X-ray and nothing was busted but it’s still hindering him. We’re probably going to hold him this week.”

Nations was integral in making the Bearcats’ offense flow in 2023, helping the team average at least 5 yards per carry in 11 of their 14 games while Jordan Hayes rushed for 1,752 yards and Brantley added 866 yards on the ground alone.

Before Nations went down, Ruston had gotten used to shuffling new names on the o-line in the preseason due to other injuries or sickness. Baugh is grateful to give younger players valuable reps, but as the season approach, he knows getting a player like Nations back is crucial.

“Offensive line wise it has been one thing after the next. We haven’t had the same group out there, and it looks like it,” Baugh said.

“It isn’t all their fault because they haven’t been able to practice. But I look at it as a good thing, especially this early in the season. But we are getting to the point at some point you’d like to iron out who’s going to be in there. It’s been frustrating for those guys because it seems like it’s been musical chairs in there. We’ll patch it up and try to get through Saturday and hopefully we’ll get some better news.”

Ruston and Neville will face off Saturday at 6 p.m. at Malone Stadium in Monroe for the 2024 Bayou Jamb.