LOS ANGELES — TCU starting running back Kendre Miller told ESPN on Saturday that he has a sprained MCL in his right knee, which is about half-healed, and is giving him a 50-50 chance to play Monday against Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Sofi Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Miller, who said he was wearing a brace on his knee under his black sweatpants at media day, plans to suit up and go through warmups.
“Tomorrow definitely is going to be pretty much the deciding factor if I can go or not, but I’m going to definitely try,” said Miller, who leads the Horned Frogs in rushing with 1,399 yards. “It’s kind of like a 50-50, but I’ll most definitely suit up either way and try.”
Miller said team doctors have left his playing status up to him, and they have seen his MRI and how loose the knee is. Miller said it continues to improve every day, but nobody is going to force him to play if it’s not right.
“If it’s not stabilized, I wouldn’t feel comfortable going out there and playing,” Miller said. “That’s kind of why I didn’t play in the second half of Michigan. I tried.”
Miller had 57 yards on eight carries in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl against the Wolverines before he was injured. He is the only player in Big 12 history to record a rushing touchdown in 13 games in a season and has totaled 17 rushing touchdowns, fourth-most in a season in TCU history and the most since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2000.
TCU coach Sonny Dykes said the staff wanted to give Miller time to rest and recover. The running back woke up Friday “a little sore” but feels better Saturday.
“I think in the next 24 hours we’ll have to make a determination or have a pretty good idea of what he’s going to be able to do going into the game Monday,” Dykes said. “We’re optimistic he’s going to be able to play. We’ll see how he feels today. Today is going to be important. The biggest thing obviously is he’s confident and feels good about it.”
When Miller was injured, the Frogs turned to Emari Demercado, who had a career-high 150 rushing yards against Michigan, the most allowed to a single rusher by the Wolverines this season.
“When Kendrick goes down, you see Emari come in, and those guys, we leaned on them,” quarterback Max Duggan, a Heisman finalist, said of his offensive linemen. “They have kind of a chip on their shoulder to help us and lead us in all of our games. They have an understanding of the type of D-linemen we’re going against and linebackers, all that, but they’re taking a great mindset of they want to be as tough as they can.”
Dykes said establishing a running game against Georgia is critical. The Bulldogs’ defense is tied for No. 2 in the country in rushing touchdowns allowed and second in the FBS in runs over 10 yards allowed. The Bulldogs have not allowed a rushing touchdown of 10 yards or more, the only team to do that this season.
“That’s the thing you have to be able to do,” Dykes said. “If not, you’re playing right into their hands. … I’m not saying you need to rush for 300 yards, but you have to consistently run the ball and stay out of third-and-long situations.”
Demercado, a native of Inglewood, California, the site of this year’s national championship game, had the second 100-yard game of his career in the CFP semifinals and posted his sixth rushing touchdown. He had a total of four rushing scores in his first four seasons at TCU. Demercado’s 622 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per carry are both career highs.
“All of our running backs can do a lot of the same work,” TCU offensive lineman Steve Avila said. “[Demercado] is a tough guy and loves to get those yards, so we’ll do our best to make those holes for him.”
Miller ranks first nationally among active Power 5 players with 6.7 yards per carry in his career. He said his family was flying in for the game Saturday.
“It’s hard mentally to embrace and take it all in, but I’m not going to let my emotions get in the way of my teammates,” Miller said. “I’m going to keep Emari calm and the rest of the dudes on the sideline if I don’t play and be there to support them.”
“I want to play, but what’s right for me is the question. I’ve been fighting it all week, because I know what’s right for me, but it’s just being there for my team. They’re understanding. We have trust in Emari and what he has to do, but I’m going to be there for them no matter what.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel contributed to this report.