Game 1: Mississippi State RB Kylin Hill
2019 Season: 242 atts, 1350 yds, 10 TDs; 18 recs, 180 receiving yds, 1 receiving TD
The senior running back for the Bulldogs returns after a stellar season as the SEC’s third leading rusher behind Kentucky’s all-purpose weapon Lynn Bowden Jr. and LSU’s beloved Clyde Edwards-Helaire. His combination of speed, power and agility makes him a strong bet to be a force in the NFL, and his passing-catching ability combined with that athleticism will suit him well in first-year head coach Mike Leach’s air raid offense.
LSU all but put Hill in a straitjacket in their meeting last season, holding him to just 34 rushing yards on 15 attempts. But, with a lot of new pieces on offense, including a multi-dimensional QB in Stanford transfer KJ Costello, expect Hill to have a bit more room to run with the Tigers having to be wary of the Bulldogs’ passing game.
Game 2: Vanderbilt LB Dimitri Moore
2019 Season: 48 solo tks, 99 total tks, 6.0 TFLs, .5 sks
Senior Dimitri Moore returns for one more season to Vanderbilt’s defense, after leading the team in tackles by nearly a 40-tackle margin. Moore also finished in the top-10 in the SEC’s tackle leaders. The 6-foot-3, 234-pound defensive leader had originally opted out of the 2020 season losing a family member to COVID-19, but ultimately changed his mind.
Moore will make an LSU win difficult because of his versatility as a defensive player. His speed and strength make him a force at the line of scrimmage, but he can also drop back in coverage well, making it hard to pinpoint where he plans to attack. Look for him to disguise himself a lot to try to sneak around Myles Brennan’s pre-snap reads.
Game 3: Missouri LB Nick Bolton
2019 Season: 74 solo tks, 103 total tks, 7.5 TFLs, 1.0 sk, 2 ints, 1 defensive TD
A common candidate in the discussion for the best linebacker in the SEC, Nick Bolton was second in tackles last season only to LSU’s Jacob Phillips. He developed a notoriety for being one of the hardest hitting linebackers around, and his season was highlighted by a two-interception game against West Virginia, one of which he ran back for a touchdown. He landed on the first All-SEC team and was the conference’s highest graded linebacker with a ProFootballFocus grade of 91.1.
The junior now gets ready for one more campaign before surely heading off for a professional career. But Bolton is ready to lead at Missouri before he goes, after having to fill that role in the middle of last season after All-American Cale Garrett suffered a season-ending injury.
“I feel like I’m a leader of our football team,” Bolton stated in an interview with the Columbia Daily Tribune. “I’m not really a vocal guy; [I’m] a more-by-example guy, just come in early, stay late type of guy. I just do that, demonstrate it the best way possible each day in practice, off the field, trying to be a great man and a great team member for my teammates.”
Look for LSU to be especially wary of Bolton’s playmaking ability when Missouri comes to Baton Rouge on Oct. 10. Bolton will make stops, but it will be Brennan and the offense’s job to make sure he does not cause too much havoc.
Game 4: Florida TE Kyle Pitts
2019 season: 54 recs, 649 yds, 5 TD, 12.0 YPC
Florida will have many players able to make an impact this year, but Pitts was chosen specifically because of his matchup last season with LSU. The Saturday night “game of the week” showdown last year between LSU and Florida is remembered fondly by Tiger fans for LSU getting the win, but it was Pitts who led the Gators in receiving with five receptions for 108 yards, gashing the middle of the LSU defense. At 6 feet, 6 inches and 239 pounds, the first team All-SEC tight end is a physical specimen and has become a favorite target of quarterback Kyle Trask. He is projected to be a first-round draft pick, but that hasn’t deterred the junior’s focus for the upcoming season.
“This guy is a complete guy,” Florida tight ends coach Tim Brewster said last week via media availability. “He’s had an amazing training camp. Each day he’s working his tail off.”
“I think if I had one adjective to describe Kyle Pitts right now, this is a tough guy, man. He’s a tough-minded guy, a physical guy. There’s nothing not to like about him.”
If LSU is to slow down the Gators’ offense when they travel to Gainesville for their annual brawl, athletic pass defenders like JaCoby Stevens and Jabril Cox will have to be called upon to stop Pitts from destroying the Tigers in between the hash marks like he has done to many SEC defenses. He will be a force in the redzone as well, using his big frame to muscle off tight coverage. With so many other weapons to worry about, it will be interesting to see how the Tigers’ defense rises to the challenge of defending one of the best passing attacks in the conference.
Game 5: South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn
2019 Season: 29 solo tks, 40 total tks, 2.0 TFLs, 1.0 sk, 9 PDs, 2 FFs
Jaycee Horn returns for his junior season, coming off a successful sophomore campaign. The versatile cornerback was the Gamecocks’ top pass defender and will be expected to take a bigger step as he becomes an upperclassman. Head Coach Will Muschamp noted that the secondary was still being pieced together as to exactly where and how each defensive back would play, but he expects Horn to use his flexibility as a man corner or as a nickel back to his advantage.
Expect Terrace Marshall Jr. to draw Horn’s attention on the edge. The matchup should be fun to watch as one of LSU’s top offensive weapons goes up against South Carolina’s best member of its secondary.
Game 6: Auburn QB Bo Nix
2019: 2542 yds, 57.6 cmp %, 16 TDs, 6 ints, 125.0 passer rating; 313 rushing yds, 7 rushing TDs
The sophomore Auburn quarterback enters his second season as the Tigers’ starter, and while he went through some freshman growing pains last season, Nix seems poised to build on an overall successful first-year campaign. The Pinson, AL native had two 300+ yard games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss, and his leadership developed throughout the year, capped by piloting his team to a gutsy win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl. As a fruit of his progress, Nix was named the 2019 SEC Freshman of the Year. Reports from Auburn fall camp say Nix has picked up his growth right where he left off last season and has shown great poise thus far.
“I’ve challenged him in this offseason to see if we can’t make the game slow down even more than what it did toward the end of last year,” first-year Auburn offensive coordinator Chad Morris said via media availability. “I’ve been very pleased with him. Bo is like a coach on the field.”
Nix will challenge Bo Pelini’s defense when LSU visits Auburn on October 31st. His playmaking ability and maturity in Auburn’s revamped offense will make him one of the most skilled quarterbacks LSU will face all season.
Game 7: Alabama RB Najee Harris
2019 Season: 209 atts, 1224 yds, 13 TDs; 27 recs, 236 receiving yds, 7 receiving TDs
Najee Harris is a household name for almost any college football fan, as he carries on the long tradition of strong, merciless Alabama running backs. Tiger fans will recall it was Harris who put the Crimson Tide on his back in last year’s game against LSU, toting the ball for 146 rushing yards and a touchdown and catching three passes for 44 yards, including an acrobatic grab for another touchdown.
Harris is a physical, downhill runner but is also dangerous in space and can make defenders miss easily. Alabama likes to utilize him in their passing game as well, and he is fantastic at creating mismatches. He finished the season as the fourth leading rusher in the SEC and was named to the second team All-SEC. Harris currently sits at the second highest Heisman odds for a running back at +2200 according to Draft Kings, behind only Clemson running back Travis Etienne.
LSU is very aware of what Harris is capable of, and they know their defensive line will have to rise to the task of penetrating Alabama’s elite offensive line and preventing Harris from running down the field on them. It will be up to edge rushers like Andre Anthony and Travez Moore to set the edge and stop Harris from getting to the outside part of the field, and roaming linebackers like Jabril Cox and Damone Clark to finish tackles and bring Harris down in space. There is a lot of time between now and November, but believe LSU defenders remember Harris well and know what’s coming.
Game 8: Arkansas QB Feleipe Franks
2018 Season (@ Florida): 2457 yds, 58.4 cmp %, 24 TDs, 6 ints, 143.4 passer rating; 320 rushing yds, 6 rushing TDs
LSU fans might remember Feleipe Franks as the four-star recruit Les Miles nearly recruited to become LSU’s next quarterback, but Franks ultimately decided to commit to then-head coach Jim McElwain’s Florida Gators. Leaving a sour taste in many mouths in Baton Rouge, Franks had a good first two years as the Gators starter and was expected to make a big jump in 2019 under new head coach Dan Mullen. However, on a scramble in Florida’s third game at Kentucky, Franks was tackled and rolled awkwardly where he would dislocate and fracture his right ankle that would end his career as a Gator prematurely. Kyle Trask stepped in for Franks and took the starting job for good.
With one year of eligibility left and something left to prove, Franks elected to transfer and start anew. He chose Sam Pittman’s Arkansas Razorbacks and recently, Franks has started to prove to Pittman that he can be the quarterback that he was before his injury.
“Just recently he has come into his own,” Pittman said on his radio show in Fayetteville. “This week I’ve seen him be more vocal with the football team.”
Franks has faced heavy competition from sophomore KJ Jefferson for the starting position in camp, but if he can hold him off, expect his experience as an SEC starter, toughness, and familiarity with LSU to be strengths the Tigers will have to account for.
Game 9: Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond
2019 Season: 2897 yds, 61.6 cmp % 20 TDs, 9 ints, 131.1 passer rating; 501 rushing yds, 8 rushing TDs
By far the make-or-break player for Texas A&M’s season is senior quarterback Kellen Mond. It has been up and down career for Mond, but last year he showed glimpses of potential such as a performance of 335 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn. Though Texas A&M finished 7-5 in the regular season, Mond is now a veteran of SEC play, but sometimes he will try to force things, leading to back to back seasons of nine interceptions. He is a mobile quarterback and can make plays with his legs when called upon.
One of Mond’s problems he will have to overcome this season is the turnover at wide receiver. Texas A&M lost a total of four of their top five receivers when Jhamon Ausbon opted out of the 2020 season on Sunday. With the lack of weapons at his disposal, it remains to be seen how Mond will respond.
LSU shut Mond down handily when the Aggies came to Baton Rouge last year, holding him to 10-of-30 passing with just 92 yards and three interceptions. The Tiger defense did a great job of putting pressure on Mond to either make mistakes or take sacks, so if LSU can replicate the pass rush that netted them six sacks in last year’s game, Mond may have a hard time getting into a rhythm. If they cannot, then Mond’s poise may win over, and the Aggies offense will challenge the Tigers’ defense.
Game 10: Ole Miss WR Elijah Moore
2019 Season: 67 recs, 850 yds, 6 TDs, 12.7 YPC
Unfortunately for Elijah Moore, he is not remembered for being a third team All-SEC member, or for being on the 2019 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. Moore’s most infamous moment came in the 2019 Egg Bowl. After scoring the potential game-tying touchdown with four seconds remaining, Moore crawled on the ground, turned his leg up, and mimicked a dog peeing for a celebration. He was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which pushed the ensuing PAT back far enough that Ole Miss kicker Luke Logan pushed the kick right, and Mississippi State won the game and achieved bowl eligibility.
Moore is a talented receiver who recorded 850 receiving yards in his sophomore season, but all anyone will want to talk about is his mishap in Starkville last year, and it will be a mental obstacle for him to overcome. If he can do it, expect him to be one of the better receivers Derek Stingley Jr. will lineup against next season, and he will challenge the LSU secondary with his strong hands and good route running.
