Three Things The LSU Tigers Must Do To Beat Missouri

Gameday is finally here, and the Ed Orgeron era officially begins at LSU tonight against the Missouri Tigers. We can’t be 100% sure what to expect from the new-look Tigers, but this is a football team that desperately needs a win. They’re fired up and the home crowd will be behind them, but LSU will need to do these three things if they are to pick up the much-needed victory.

Have Early Success Throwing The Football

Under Les Miles and Cam Cameron the LSU Tiger offense had become very predictable. Teams knew that the Tigers were going to line up and run the ball until they were put in a third-and-long situation. The playcalling was horrendous, and the lack of production on that side of the ball has cost the team greatly.

Under interim coach Ed Orgeron, you can expect to see the team go to great lengths to establish that offensive balance they so desperately need. Danny Etling is going to be given plenty of chances to throw the ball, and if LSU is going to win, he needs to do so well.

Not only that, but the passing attack needs to get off to a fast start. If we see lots of issues early on and they just aren’t able to get it going, the Tigers will have to go back to the same “run until we can’t” playbook we have seen for so many years. But, if Etling can get off to a hot start and achieve the balance the coaches want, points will go up in a hurry.

Don’t Allow The Missouri Defense To Dictate The Game

Before taking over as the head coach of the Missouri Tigers, Barry Odom was a defensive coordinator, and a pretty good one at that. He has done a great job of building a shaky Missouri defense into one that can compete against anyone, especially when it comes to stopping the run.

For as much as we like to talk about the Tigers becoming a more pass-heavy team under Ed Orgeron, it isn’t going to happen over a week’s time, and LSU will still be a run-first team. Leonard Fournette is the best running back in the nation, and while the team needs balance to open up running lanes, they need to feed him the ball at a fairly frequent rate.

In a game the team is using to begin the implementation of an improved passing attack, a reliable running game will be critical. Led by Beckner and Harris, Missouri’s very good front-seven will look to slow down Fournette and the rest of the backs as much as possible. If LSU allows them to dictate things and force the Tigers to throw more than they are comfortable with, things could get ugly.

Take Advantage Of Missouri’s Weak Secondary

This may sound like somewhat of a repeat of the first key I gave you, but allow me to explain.

In the eyes of many, the Missouri secondary is one of the worst in the conference and doesn’t compare well to those around the country either. The pass coverage is absolutely horrendous, and if the talented defensive line is not making big plays it’s pretty easy to rack up points against the Tigers.

I made the point earlier that LSU needs to get off to a fast start throwing the ball to create balance and confidence, but this goes a bit further than that. If the Tigers can make big plays down the field against the weak Missouri defensive backs, they could quite possibly neutralize their entire defense. Burning their corners for big-yardage plays would force them to line fewer guys up in the box, creating more room for the running backs to attack. If they choose to commit more guys to stopping the run, Etling and the receivers could just as easily go back to torching the secondary. If LSU is able to take advantage of the weak link of the Missouri defense, the game could be over by halftime.