Three LSU Players to Watch Against Mississippi State

The trio of Tigers will be critical to the end result Saturday, defensive line looks to get pressure early

The Tigers enter SEC play with something to prove in Brian Kelly’s conference debut. The talk of the town has been the “air raid” offense Mississippi State runs, but the Tigers getting near full strength in the secondary can only help their case.

There are a myriad of matchups we like come Saturday night in Death Valley. Whether it be the battle in the trenches or LSU’s cornerbacks looking to lockdown the Bulldogs’ trio of wide receivers, there is much to like in this one.

Here are three Tigers to watch against Mississippi State:

Mekhi Wingo - Defensive Lineman

We saw Missouri transfer Mekhi Wingo step up when thrown into the fire after Maason Smith suffered an injury in their season opener. Coming up with the fumble recovery to set up the Tigers’ 99-yard drive in the final minute, the All-SEC freshman team member will now have some big shoes to fill as the season goes on.

The “next man up” within this LSU defensive line, Wingo will be a key piece to what this unit does. Looking to carry over his success from his first two games into their matchup against Mississippi State, Wingo must be on his A-game.

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Two other names to monitor will be Jacobian Guillory and Savion Jones as guys to help make an impact for this defensive line group.

Colby Richardson - Cornerback

The McNeese State transfer had seemingly made a meteoric rise up the depth chart of this LSU squad during fall camp, but hasn’t been as effective as anticipated through the Tigers’ first two games. Following Coach Frank Wilson from Lake Charles to Baton Rouge, Richardson is a guy this program remains high on.

The 24-year-old graduate transfer took a majority of first team reps with the cornerbacks throughout fall camp, but is still looking to hit his stride. Head coach Brian Kelly has spoken highly of Richardson and the growth he has made.

“[Colby Richardson] coming in and really showing himself from McNeese State as somebody that can compete for us right away,” Kelly said during fall camp.

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Against the “air raid” offense Mississippi State loves to run, it’ll be all hands on deck in this LSU secondary. To get production from Richardson will be of the utmost importance, making him a key guy to watch Saturday night.

Jack Bech - Wide Receiver

The sophomore wideout was seemingly used as a decoy for much of his snaps against Florida State, but was extremely effective in his limited action against Southern. As he continues getting back to 100% after battling a stress fracture throughout much of fall camp, Bech will be someone to monitor come conference play.

Bech is looking back to his old ways and Kelly harped on the standout wide receiver’s improvement in practice, looking more than capable of taking significant snaps Saturday.

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“You’re going to see a whole lot of him because he looks to have turned the corner from his injury,” Kelly said during his radio show last week.

This LSU offense will be in dire need of production from their playmakers Saturday night against Mississippi State. Look for the quartet of receivers to get in on the action early with Kayshon Boutte, Malik Nabers, Jaray Jenkins and Bech. Not to mention Brian Thomas Jr. looking to get his.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately this one will come down to the secondary play of LSU. With the return of Sevyn Banks, this group has the depth to flip rotations, but getting production will be of the utmost importance.

The Tigers will hope to get production from their big guys up front with BJ Ojulari returning and Wingo stepping in for an injured Maason Smith. If this defensive line can attack Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers, it’ll make the job of this LSU secondary that much easier.

Look for this defense to be on their A-game Saturday night. Offensively, the Tigers will get the ball to their playmakers in open space, but defensively will be what sets the tone for this group as they enter a strenuous SEC schedule.