Just when things looked hard for LSU, they could get harder. The Tigers are set to face the Missouri Tigers in Columbia on Saturday, and Missouri may be one of the most underrated teams in the SEC.
Missouri is ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25, two spots ahead of LSU. They’re 5-0 on the season, with their most notable win being a 30-27 thriller over Kansas State, who was ranked No. 15 at the time.
Missouri runs a balanced offense, similar to Ole Miss, but the Brady Cook and Luther Burden III duo have been arguably one of the best in the country thus far.
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Brady Cook has thrown for 1,468 yards this season, ranking fourth in the SEC. He’s completed 105 of his 141 attempted passes, giving him a 74.5% completion percentage, which is second in the SEC among starting quarterbacks.
His main receiving target, Burden, leads the country in receiving yards with 644 and has found the end zone five times. Burden is by far the most targeted receiver in Missouri’s offense.
With 43 receptions on the season, Burden has 19 more receptions than their next leading receiver, Theo Wease Jr. Burden has 390 more receiving yards than Wease, as Wease has 24 receptions for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
The prime key for LSU to come away with the win is to control Burden and keep him and Cook from finding a rhythm. But Wease is also capable from breaking through as well if Burden is heavily covered. Overall, LSU controlling the receiving game is key.
However, Missouri’s run game has been in the receiving game’s shadow all season, but the run for Missouri has been effective as well.
Cody Schrader leads Missouri with 81 carries for 463 yards and three touchdowns. He ranks second in the SEC for both rushing yards and carries. The only running back in the SEC with more carries is Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins.
Nathaniel Peat has also run the ball 56 times for 257 yards and two touchdowns, so the Tigers run a multi-back backfield similar to LSU.
While Missouri runs a very similar offensive system to Ole Miss, its depth isn’t as deep as the Rebels. And LSU obviously struggled to contain Ole Miss’ offense.
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Against LSU, Judkins ran the ball 33 times for the Rebels, more than any other running back LSU has seen by a considerable amount. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry, but Ole Miss’ ability to have success in the pass game is what gave the Rebels the edge.
Some of that was self-inflicted wounds by LSU. Those wounds have to heal by Saturday, however, because Burden arguably has more boom potential than any receiver on Ole Miss’ roster.
In both of LSU’s losses, it couldn’t defend the pass. With Missouri’s options having the same potential, if not greater, than the receivers LSU has seen so far, it could lead to disaster.
When Ole Miss’ run game was controlled at times, its passing game shined. For Missouri, when its passing game may be controlled at certain points in the game, they’ll resort to their run game, which has gotten the job done.
The term “trap game” has often been used to describe LSU’s matchup with Missouri, but it shouldn’t.
Missouri is one of the hottest teams in the SEC this season, and looking ahead to most likely LSU’s matchup with Alabama, which is also a month away, is a mistake. Even looking ahead to LSU’s home matchup with Auburn is unnecessary.
Missouri is a team that could catch fire quickly, and they’ll be one of the better teams LSU sees this regular season. Not to mention, playing the game in Missouri will present a challenge for LSU. But regardless, with the talent on both sides, it will be one of the better games of Week Six of the college football season.
