Three Players to Watch: LSU vs Mississippi State

The trio of Bulldogs will be critical to the end result Saturday, Tigers must be prepared for Rogers' sneaky athleticism

The Tigers enter a matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs that will certainly put them to the test. An air raid offense that is led by junior quarterback Will Rogers, the Bulldogs will almost certainly challenge this LSU secondary.

But this team attains a myriad of weapons to choose from. With a gifted signal-caller who can make all the throws, they also have the ability to get production from their backfield.

Here are three players to watch on this Bulldogs squad:

Will Rogers - Quarterback

Rogers will be the signal-caller Saturday night, and if it’s one thing he does correctly, it’s make the proper read consistently. With a banged up LSU defensive line, it’ll be a challenge to get pressure on the seasoned quarterback, but if the Tigers can get to him early, it’ll put this team in position to be successful.

Connecting on roughly 80% of his throws, Rogers has been throwing darts for the Bulldogs, and this LSU secondary will have to be on their A-game. A sneaky part of Rogers’ game is his athleticism. Able to get out of the pocket and use his scrambling ability when needed, he can make plays on the run as well.

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Will Rogers currently leads the SEC in passing yards (763), completion percentage (78.57), and passing touchdowns (9)

No other SEC passer has 7 passing touchdowns this season

— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) September 14, 2022

Look for Rogers to be in command of this offense in a pass-heavy scheme. With the Tigers potentially returning cornerback Sevyn Banks back into the mix, LSU will have some depth to rotate in and out to the Bulldogs’ air raid attack.

Jett Johnson - Linebacker

Again, small sample size here, but Johnson has been a sideline-to-sideline linebacker for this Bulldogs defense through two games. Already up to 20 total tackles, with Mississippi State’s second leading tackler having just eight total, Johnson has been the heartbeat of this defense.

The senior has leveled up his game going into this season for his squad, looking prepared for a big year for the Bulldogs. With ideal size for a linebacker at 6-foot-2, 235-pounds, the seasoned veteran will be someone this LSU offense accounts for during game preparation.

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Of course this Tiger offensive line will be put to the test in their first game of conference play. As true freshman Will Campbell is set to get his first taste of SEC talent, the battle in the trenches will be another part LSU must keep an eye on.

Dillon Johnson - Running Back

Johnson is used extremely well in the check down game for this team and will put the LSU linebackers to the test. We saw in the Florida State game this unit got thrown off with pre-snap movement by their offense, so it’ll be interesting to monitor their preparation heading into this one.

Though this program elects to go with a passing scheme, when Johnson’s number is called he delivers. LSU is battling inconsistency with their defensive line, so it’ll be imperative the Tigers stay focused when Johnson is in the backfield. 

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A rusher who can make defenders miss with his nimbleness while also running over guys, he’s an extremely well-rounded player for this team.

LSU will have to monitor Johnson for much of Saturday’s contest. A back they use in a myriad of sets, it’ll be of the utmost importance this defense has him on their scouting report as game day inches closer in Death Valley.