BATON ROUGE — LSU running back Stevan Ridley doesn’t know how many carries he will get on Saturday when the Tigers host Louisiana Tech.

But the former Trinity Episcopal standout is preparing himself as if he will be the starter, which is a distinct possibility.

Ridley, a redshirt sophomore who has played mostly on special teams during his LSU career, will get his chance to play a much bigger role in the Tigers offense after senior starting running back Charles Scott broke his collarbone in last week’s 24-15 loss to Alabama and is out for the remainder of the season.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Ridley said. “Charles has put in a lot of hard work to get us the record we have. I have to step in and carry the load like he did. My coaches and teammates are depending on me.”

Ridley took advantage of his opportunity against the Crimson Tide last week.

On his first carry of the game after Scott’s injury, Ridley bounced outside and raced into the corner of the end zone from eight yards out to give LSU a 15-10 lead late in the third quarter.

It was his third career touchdown, but his first against an SEC opponent.

“Man, that was an awesome feeling,” Ridley said of scoring the touchdown against the Tide. “It happened so fast. After the play was over, there was no time to think about what I just did. I had to go straight to the next play. But it was an awesome feeling to be able to do that in Tuscaloosa.”

While Ridley is excited about his opportunity to play a much larger role in LSU’s offense, he feels bad that his opportunity is coming because of a season-ending injury to his good friend Scott.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Ridley said. “When you get down here, these people are not only your teammates, but you develop relationships with them. Me and Charles have developed a good relationship. This is Charles’ senior year, and I hate it for him as a person and teammate to watch him go down.”

Ridley has come back strong from a torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in spring practice, and credited the coaching staff with keeping him strong and ready to play.

“Since I came back from my ACL injury, the coaches have been running me ragged in practice,” Ridley said. “I don’t think I could possibly take any more reps in practice since the season began.”

And because of that hard work, Ridley said there has been no change in his game day preparation this week.

“This week is no different for me than any other week,” Ridley said. “Here at LSU, we work hard every day. The physical part of me is ready to roll. I’ve just got to mentally prepare myself. The key is to make the right decisions, read my keys and make the plays.”

Ridley is expected to split carries with senior running back Keiland Williams in Scott’s absence, but said the coaches have not let on who will be the starter or get the most carries in Saturday’s game.

“Me and Keiland have been battling for the No. 1 spot,” Ridley said. “The coaches haven’t said, ‘Ridley you’ll take 40 percent of the carries and Keiland you’ll get 60 percent.’ They just said somebody has got to step in a fill Charles’ shoes, and my thought is why can’t it be me? I’m preparing myself like I’m going to be the starter on Saturday.”