LSU Tigers

Malachi Dupre Has Been Given a Second Chance At LSU

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

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With Les Miles gone, we here at Death Valley Voice and many around the country have devoted most of our time to looking ahead to the critical coaching search that will heat up at season’s end. What we haven’t done much of is discuss storylines that could play out during the rest of the current season.

I’m going to put a pause on the coaching coverage for now with Saturday’s game quickly approaching, and I want to focus on this year’s team. I want to do so starting with a guy who I think could be an x-factor for the Tigers down the stretch, and that guy is wide receiver Malachi Dupre.

Dupre is the best receiver at LSU, and is arguably one of the most talented in the conference at the position. He doesn’t have the numbers you would expect to see from a guy who is considered to be among the top at his position, but Dupre is an elite wideout.

The problem is, Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron had no idea whatsoever how to use him. We all know about the offensive woes that resulted from the poor scheming of the now departed coaches, but it’s overlooked how little they tried to get the ball into their best playmaker’s hands.

This season, Dupre has only caught 11 passes for a measly 99 yards. For a wide receiver of his caliber, that should be a stat line we occasionally see in a single game.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

With new faces at both head coach and offensive coordinator, I think we could see a big increase in production from Dupre. Frankly, he’s going to have to put up better numbers if this offense is to have any chance at a turnaround.

From how I see it, Malachi Dupre has a golden opportunity on his hands. Interim head coach Ed Orgeron has told us that the offense is going to look completely different under the new regime, and that the Tigers are going to spread the field and display a far more aggressive passing game.

When a team tries to increase its production passing the ball, it’s reasonable to expect to see the best receiver on the roster get an increase in targets.

With that, Dupre has the opportunity to finally show just how good he is. Miles and Cameron never utilized his skill set. We’ve known how much of an impact Dupre could have on this offense, and now we may finally get to see it.

It may not happen immediately, but I’m excited to see how dominant Malachi Dupre can be in this new balanced offense. The potential has always been there for him to be a highly productive receiver for the Tigers, and if he can take the opportunity and run with it, both the offense and his NFL draft stock will benefit greatly.

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