The rare battle between the Tigers of Missouri and the Tigers of LSU takes place Saturday morning in Columbia, Missouri. This will be only the fourth meeting between the two football programs.
Even rarer is the fact that both teams are ranked in the Top 25, but that the undefeated black and gold Tigers are ranked higher than their purple and gold opponent. In the latest AP Top 25 Poll, Missouri sits at No. 21 while LSU comes in at No. 23.
Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. Saturday and you can listen to the game live on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.
PLENTY OF OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
LSU and Missouri enter Saturday’s matchup featuring some of the Southeastern Conference’s best offensive playmakers. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels leads the SEC in passing yards (1,710) passing touchdowns (16), and QBR (193.40), while also being second in yards per pass attempt (10.74), and third in completion percentage (74.47). Missouri’s Brady Cook meanwhile is fourth in passing yards (1,468), yards per pass attempt (10.41), tied for second in passing touchdowns (11) and QBR (187.67). The two teams also have three of the four best wide receivers in the SEC. Missouri’s Luther Burden III leads the league in receiving yards (644) and receptions (43) while being tied for fourth in touchdowns (5). LSU’s Malik Nabers is second in yards (625) and receptions (40) and fourth in touchdowns (5). Nabers’ teammate Brian Thomas is fourth in yards (537), third in receptions (33), and first in touchdowns (8). Missouri also has the second leading rusher in Cody Schrader (463 yards) and LSU has the seventh and tenth with Logan Diggs (354) and Daniels (292). So with two leaky defenses — ranked 120 and 110 in red zone defense — expect plenty of offensive fireworks on Saturday.
TURNOVERS WILL BE KEY
In a game with two high-powered offenses, whoever commits the least amount of turnovers will likely prevail and both sets of Tigers are good about not coughing up turnovers. Mizzu enters the game ranked No. 3 with the fewest turnovers (3) and Brady Cook just broke Andrew Woodson’s SEC record for most passing attempts without an interception. LSU is tied for No. 13 with fewest turnovers (4) and Jayden Daniels has thrown only two interceptions. While the offenses are very good at protecting the football, neither defense is good at forcing turnovers. Mizzu is tied for 113th with takeaways (4) while LSU is marginally better tied for 98th (5). It may be cliche but whoever wins the turnover battle will likely win the game.
WINGO RETURNS TO MISSOURI
LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo returns to face the team he began his collegiate career with. The 6-foot-1, 295-pound St. Louis native signed with Mizzu out of De Smet Jesuit High School. He appeared in 11 games, including three starts, in 2021 to earn Freshman All-SEC honors but still opted to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and arrived at LSU for the 2022 season. Wingo earned AP Third Team All-America honors after starting 13 games, recording 47 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, and three sacks. Expect Wingo — who has 17 tackles, 2 TFL, and 1.5 sacks this season — to want to play his best game against his old team, and that could be a huge x-factor.
SERIES RECORD: Missouri leads 2-1
Last Three:
2020: MISSOURI 45 – LSU 41
2016: LSU 42 – MISSOURI 7
1978: MISSOURI 20 – LSU 15
STAT LEADERS
LSU
Jayden Daniels: 117-of-160, 1,710 yards, 16 TD, 2 INT
Logan Diggs: 57 carries, 354 yards, 3 TD
Malik Nabers: 40 receptions, 625 yards, 5 TD
Major Burns: 38 tackles (14 solo), 1 sack
Damian Ramos: 5-for-6, Long of 41
Missouri
Brady Cook: 105-of-141, 1,096 yards, 11 TD, 0 INT
Cody Schrader: 81 carries, 483 yards, 3 TD
Luther Burden III: 43 receptions, 644 yards, 5 TD
Ty’Ron Hopper: 27 tackles (20 solo), 2.5 TFL, 8 QBH
Harrison Mevis: 7-of-10, Long of 61