BATON ROUGE, La. -- Barkevious Mingo, LSU's star defensive end, did not start Saturday against Idaho after suffering a sprained ankle last week against Washington.

He wasn't alone.

Center P.J. Lonergan didn't start either, as Elliott Porter got his first college start. Defensive tackle Josh Downs did not start, giving Anthony Johnson a chance. Wide receiver James Wright sat out, giving Russell Shepard a start. Also sitting out were running back Spencer Ware and safety Craig Loston.

Just two games into the season, LSU looked beaten up. But were the Tigers really ailing that much?

Downs, Lonergan and Mingo all played in the Tigers' 63-14 win, just off the bench. It looked more like a case of LSU getting players ready for Saturday's SEC opener at Auburn than injuries to actually worry about.

Of Lonergan, LSU coach Les Miles said, "We didn't necessarily want to tax him the whole game. Miles added Lonergan would be ready for Saturday's game at Auburn. One could assume it's true of Mingo and Downs, considering that they also played, but sparingly, through their minor injuries.

As for Ware, Wright and Loston, the three injured players that did not play, Miles said all three should be ready for Auburn.