Missouri Tigers at LSU Tigers: Kickoff time, TV, betting line, five things to know
The Missouri Tigers and MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz have no time to rest after two straight defeats to ranked opponents. After all, they have to travel next to face the defending national champion in No. 17 LSU.
Mizzou is still searching for that elusive first victory of the Drinkwitz era. It’s been a mixed bag of performance from the first-year coach’s Tigers, who lost 35-12 to Tennessee on the road last Saturday.
The offense has shown “flashes,” Drinkwitz said, but the consistency to get into the end zone more than once in a game hasn’t been there yet. The defense has struggled, too: MU has forced only one takeaway through two games and was torn up by the Vols’ rushing attack.
It’s a worrisome sign as the Tigers have been started slow in each game.
Here’s a look at this week’s game.
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
TV: ESPN
Betting line: LSU by 20.5
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
- Another ranked opponent. Mizzou knew coming in it would have a brutal start to the season, and things have unfolded exactly as expected. While LSU stumbled early against Mississippi State, coach Ed Orgeron’s Tigers are still a formidable foe. LSU is coming off a 41-7 win over Vanderbilt to bounce back from its season-opening loss.
- Keep an eye on MU’s quarterback. Through two weeks of the season, different quarterbacks have played the majority of snaps in each game. Shawn Robinson started both games and played extensively in the Alabama loss, while Bazelak played the final three quarters the loss at Tennessee. Drinkwitz said he hasn’t determined what he’s going to do at the game’s most crucial position, and this is a situation worth monitoring.
- These isn’t the same LSU from last year. LSU had a legendary 2019 season, going 15-0 on its way to a national championship. But the reigning national champs lost a lot of talent, starting with QB Joe Burrow (now with the Cincinnati Bengals) and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who now stars for the Chiefs. LSU had a whopping 14 players chosen in the 2020 NFL Draft, with five going in the first round. LSU was also hit by COVID opt-outs, including wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, a surefire first-round pick next season.
LSU still plenty talented. Just because these aren’t the same players from 2019 doesn’t mean they’re not loaded with new playmakers. LSU quarterback Myles Brennan is still learning the ropes, but guys like Derek Stingley Jr., Jacoby Stevens, Terrance Marshall and others still roam the field on both sides of the ball. Mizzou will have to rise to the occasion and then some if it wants to pull off this road upset.
- Little history. These squads have played in the same SEC conference for nearly a decade now, but Mizzou and LSU have only matched up twice all-time, and that series is tied 1-1. MU won the Liberty Bowl 20-15 in 1978; LSU downed Mizzou 42-7 in a 2016 showdown, the lone time the conference foes have met during SEC play.