Preview Podcast: Can LSU slow Burden, Missouri to get road win?
For the second straight week, LSU hits the road for a Top 25 matchup in the SEC, this time to Columbia for a showdown with No. 21 Missouri.
Kickoff is set for 11:07 a.m. CT on ESPN and the LSU Sports Radio Network.
Historically, there have only been three previous meetings between the two programs, tying the series for the fewest games played in any other matchup in the conference (others: Texas A&M-Vanderbilt and Texas A&M-Kentucky).
Last week, Jayden Daniels and the LSU offense positioned themselves among the elite in college football, but a lack of stops on the defensive side dealt the Tigers their fate against Ole Miss.
After finishing 27-of-36 for 414 yards and four touchdowns, Daniels leads the SEC and ranks No. 2 in the nation in total offense with 400.4 yards per game (342.0 passing, 58.4 rushing). The fifth-year senior has accounted for four or more touchdowns in four consecutive games, which marks the longest in-season streak in LSU school history.
“Offensively, just a great performance,” said head coach Brian Kelly on Monday. “We wish we could’ve matched it defensively, and we did not. We’ll have to look at how we get better and our guys will bounce back. I’m confident in that.”
Saturday will showcase four of the top receivers in the conference. Brian Thomas leads the nation in touchdown receptions with eight and 33 passes caught for 537 yards, while teammate Malik Nabers is No. 2 in the league in receptions (40) and yards (625). Mizzou receiver Luther Burden leads the SEC in receptions (43) and yards (644) while Theo Wease adds another threat with 23 receptions for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
Junior quarterback Brady Cook has guided a potent Missouri offense with 1,468 yards, 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions through five weeks.
“They have some big time playmakers,” Kelly said. “The quarterback is playing extremely well and is highly efficient. Luther Burden is explosive and is a game breaker. They are tough and physical on the offensive line. A really good, solid football team that is fundamentally sound in all areas.”
Top 10
- 1New
CFP Top 25
First College Football Playoff rankings
- 2Hot
Ben Herbstreit
Kirk Herbstreit asks for prayers
- 3
CFP bracket
12-team bracket after first CFP Top 25
- 4Trending
Dabo denied vote
'They done voted me out of the state'
- 5
Couching Carousel
Intel on potential head coaching moves
Another bright spot for the LSU offense has been running back Logan Diggs, who has solidified himself as the featured back in a talented rotation. Diggs had his second 100-yard game as a Tiger last week and is averaging 88.5 yards per game (354 yards and 3 TDs in 4 games).
Defensively, the Tigers will look to improve in all phases. Against the Rebels, cornerback Andre Sam led the team in tackles with 14, while safety Major Burns had 11 tackles of his own with a pass breakup. Linebacker Greg Penn III also had 10 and Whit Weeks posted another impressive outing with 9.
“I think we’ve come up with some valid solutions to where we want to go moving forward,” Kelly said. “We missed a lot of tackles that gave up a lot of yards. We have to be better in the fundamentals and our guys know that. We have to get the ball on the ground and create a new line of scrimmage.”
The Tigers will continue to wear the No. 3 on their helmets. On Wednesday, the Brooks family, LSU Athletics, and Our Lady of the Lake Health announced today that Greg Brooks Jr., a senior safety on the Tigers’ football team, had been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, medulloblastoma.
To help cover expenses resulting from his illness, The Tiger Athletic Foundation has launched The Greg Brooks Victory Fund, which supporters can contribute to here.
“The support that he’s been receiving from the community has been overwhelming,” Kelly said. “This is a long battle and he continues to fight every day.”
*LSU Press Release
