Looking into LSU’s two most pressing areas of concern against Missouri

LSU has two primary areas of concern as the Tigers face off against Missouri on Saturday.

With game day quickly approaching, the No. 17 LSU Tigers head to Columbia, Missouri for the first time ever to face their SEC East foe Missouri Tigers.

Hurricane Delta is impacting the game, which was originally slated to be played inside Tiger Stadium, and will now be moved to Faurot Field to be played on the turf of the “other Tigers.”

LSU has many familiar faces back for this game. Defensive lineman Glen Logan is expected to return, for one.

Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. returned last week and running back Chris Curry should be back after missing last week with an illness.

Here’s a look at the most pressing areas of concern for LSU against Missouri.

Defensive line

Last week, LSU started freshman Jaquelin Roy on the defensive line and failed to get the result they had hoped for. Roy finished with just one tackle, but still has a great amount of upside that will carry his career.

Glen Logan is expected back this week, and that provides the Tigers with a boost up front. But overall, the defensive line needs to get back on track.

Ali Gaye had trouble last week after having 11 tackles in the season opener, but has obviously shown he has the ability to make a strong impact in a single game.

Missouri isn’t a great rushing team on offense, but LSU has to get in the backfield more this week. Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini could even dial up more blitz packages given the lack of stats for Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak.

LSU football’s two main areas of concern against Mississippi State

As LSU opens their season against Mississippi State on Saturday, the offensive and defensive lines draw concern.

The 2020 college football season for the defending national champion LSU Tigers kicks off in two days.

On Saturday, the Tigers welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs to Baton Rouge for the first game of the conference-only season.

LSU lost 14 players from last year’s team to the 2020 NFL draft, which leaves a few questions in the air when it comes to production at each position.

Let’s take a look at two main areas of concern heading into Saturday’s season-opening game for the Tigers.

Offensive Line

As much of a lingering question that the quarterback position could be with Myles Brennan leading the way replacing Joe Burrow, the Tigers’ offensive line lost three starters from last season.

With the official depth chart for the first game being released last week, the Tigers will start three players that have experience on the line in Dare Rosenthal at offensive tackle, Chasen Hines at right guard and Austin Deculus at right tackle.

Offensive guard Ed Ingram also has starting experience and will be a key factor in protecting Brennan and opening holes in the running game.

The Tigers’ starting center will be Harvard transfer Liam Shanahan, who is a player that the coaching staff has been giving high praise for.

The main reason for the concern is due to the fact that the team lost nearly all of their starters from last season on the line. Protecting Brennan is focal point number one for this unit.

If they can transition into a solid unit early in the season, things will look good for them from a protection and production standpoint for the season.

However, the front seven has to give Brennan enough time in the pocket to complete passes and escape pressure. We will find out on Saturday how well the unit is clicking during the game.

Going up against a team with a new head coach, coupled with a new quarterback in Brennan, could give the offensive line a struggle during the game.