LSU Tigers

LSU Tigers vs Missouri: Five Players To Watch

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The LSU Tigers welcome Missouri to Death Valley on Saturday in a must-have game. LSU shook the college football world when they opted to fire Les Miles last Sunday, and now it’s time for the Tigers to debut the changes we have heard about all week long.

Ed Orgeron’s team needs to get something rolling on offense, and this is a game they need to win if they are to stay alive in the SEC West. This game will undoubtedly be entertaining, and here are the five guys whose names you could hear quite a few times in tonight’s contest.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Danny Etling, Quarterback, LSU Tigers

With offensive coordinator Cam Cameron no longer with the Tigers, LSU is expected to come out throwing against Missouri in an attempt to build long-term balance on offense. This is an offensive unit that had lacked the ability to keep a defense honest for years, and this regime is going to do everything it can to change that.

Danny Etling is the man the Tigers are counting on to lead the new and improved LSU offense, and he will likely get the opportunity to throw far more passes than he has in his first three games.

Going up against a Missouri pass defense that is among the worst in the conference, Etling has a perfect opportunity to take this new offensive philosophy and run with it. The Tigers are finally going to spread the field and be aggressive on offense, and that could mean big numbers for their quarterback.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Lock, Quarterback, Missouri Tigers

Sticking with the quarterback position, Missouri’s Drew Lock is another guy to keep a serious eye on. Lock has emerged as one of the conference’s best passers and will present a difficult challenge for the LSU defense.

Through four games this season, Lock has thrown the ball 162 times, completing 96 of those passes for 1508 yards and 14 touchdowns. In the team’s two wins this year, he has thrown for a combined 852 yards and 10 touchdowns, tying the school record for touchdown passes in a game with five in both outings.

The thing is, those two incredible showings were against Eastern Michigan and Deleware State. Lock has looked decent against tougher competition, but has yet to come close to the numbers he has put up in other instances.

Against the LSU defense, he will have the opportunity to show what he is really made of. If he goes out and has a good game, the doubters will be silenced and he can be fairly recognized as an elite SEC quarterback. We’ll see if he can get it done. 

Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

Derrius Guice, Running Back, LSU Tigers

When you have the best running back in the nation, as LSU does with Leonard Fournette, you don’t typically see his backup’s name anywhere near a “players to watch” article. But this week against Missouri, sophomore back Derrius Guice could have the ball in his hands quite often.

Last week against Auburn was the first time in awhile that Fournette was given the all clear with his nagging ankle injury, but late in the fourth quarter he rolled that same ankle, and his status against Missouri is unknown. There is a chance he plays, but interim coach Ed Orgeron says that the team will make its decision around game time.

If Fournette is unable to go in tonight’s game, it would be an absolutely huge blow to a team with a new coach that is trying implement a new offense of sorts. The Tigers are trying to establish a passing game, and if their star running back is not there to force the defense to commit to slowing him down, it will be much harder to move the ball through the air.

That’s where Guice comes in. In limited time on the field, the backup running back has proven to be a capable ball carrier when needed. In 2016, he has 29 carries for 239 yards, giving him an 8.2 yards per carry average.

We don’t know if Guice will be relied on heavily just yet, but if he his, we’ll get our first look at him as the featured back. We’ve seen great potential from him at times, and we might just get a real look at it against Missouri.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Harris, Defensive End, Missouri Tigers

The entire the Missouri defensive line will play a key role in this game, but I want to take this moment to look at arguably their best player.

Charles Harris considered one of the top defensive ends in the conference, and if his Tigers are to have a chance at winning against LSU, he is going to have to show up big. LSU is looking to have a statement game on the offensive side of the ball, and Harris and the mean Missouri front-seven are going to do everything they can to make sure that doesn’t happen.

If Harris is able to put pressure on quarterback Danny Etling and sack him or force him into bad decisions, LSU’s attempt to establish a passing attack could be quickly derailed. On top of that, Harris and the defense will be counted on to slow down the Tiger rushing attack, and that’s no easy task.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Malachi Dupre, Wide Receiver, LSU Tigers

When a team tries to increase its production in the passing game, you can typically expect to see the best receiver on the roster get an increase in targets.

That should be the case for LSU wideout Malachi Dupre, who has the opportunity to finally show just how good he is. Les Miles and Cam Cameron never utilized his skill set, and it’s angered the fanbase since Dupre got to LSU because we know just how talented he is.

It’s clear how much of an impact Dupre could have on this offense, and now we may finally get to see it.

I’m excited to see how dominant Malachi Dupre can be in this new balanced offense. The potential has always been there for great production, and we will get our first taste of that against Missouri.

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