LSU won’t have two starting defenders available — and may be without a third — when Rice visits Baton Rouge this weekend.

Cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko will miss Saturday’s game because of injuries, Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said Monday during his weekly press conference. Senior safety John Battle, who missed last week’s game against Arkansas along with Fehoko, will have a shot to play against Rice.

“He’s out,” Orgeron said of Fulton, who left the game against the Razorbacks with an injury. “I don’t know how long he’s out, but he’s going to be out for a while, I believe.”

Fortunately for No. 7 LSU (8-2), this week’s game is a respite from the grueling SEC schedule. The Tigers take on Rice (1-10) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday before closing the regular season at Texas A&M.

Below are the other topics Orgeron discussed Monday.

On taking advantage of the new four-game redshirt rule against Rice:

  • “We go into each game with a plan. We’re going to play our first team, going in to win the game. If things happen, we’ll give some guys a chance.”

On Nick Brossette voluntarily going down at the goal line last week:

  • He did the thing right. We call it the ‘winning edge’. Nick did it. We huddled, and he said, ‘Coach, it’s up to you.’ I thought we could score again. We weren’t able to, but he did the right thing. We were able to win the game.”

On bringing the offense back to the level it was at against Georgia:

  • “I think somehow, someway, we lost our identity since the Georgia game. We tried new things, maybe trying to put too many things in. We have to look back at that game and figure out what we did right there. I think it’s more to simplify. We’re trying to put too many things in or trying to cover up some weaknesses. Sometimes we feel handcuffed, can’t get too many receivers out or whatever because of protection. … We’re going to look at what guys are doing on defense because the defenses that are having success against us, we’re going to see that again.”

On backup quarterback Myles Brennan:

  • “Myles experienced a minor injury that was hampering his throwing throughout the year. There was one game he could’ve went in where I didn’t think he was healthy or ready to go in that situation. … Now it seems like he’s going to redshirt, which is great for him and our football team. I believe Myles is a championship quarterback. He’s going to be a great quarterback at LSU. He’s got a great arm. He’s getting healthier, getting better. I think this year has been very beneficial for him and our football team.”

On battling the perception that LSU could be doing more despite an overachieving season:

  • “This is LSU. I grew up watching LSU. I know the expectation here every year is to win a national championship. We’re getting everything we can out of this football team. They’re doing everything they can. There are two hard games left. … We can get to a good bowl game, a good New Year’s Day bowl, so I think it’s a good step.”