Missouri wide receiver could pose a major challenge for LSU football defense

For coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers, their matchup vs. Missouri is setting up to be yet another high-scoring affair. One of the big reasons for that is former five-star Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III. Earlier this week, coach Brian Kelly broke down the star pass catcher and what it’ll take for the LSU football defense to slow him down.

Coach Brian Kelly understands that slowing down Missouri starts with wide receiver Luther Burden III

For any aspiring college football wide receivers out there, you might want to tune into LSU football vs. Missouri on Saturday. Along with the Tigers’ Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr, Missouri also has some elite receivers.

The star of the show for Mizzou is former five-star wide receiver Luther Burden III. The St. Louis native was good last season, but as a sophomore in 2023, he’s been as good as anyone.

So far, he’s recorded 43 receptions for 644 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers alone stack up with some of the best in college football.

Cook ➡️ LB3 for the call of the game 😤#MIZ 🐯🏈 pic.twitter.com/unYFMrL47U

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) October 2, 2023

However, coach Brian Kelly understands how dangerous the entire Missouri offense can be. Therefore, earlier this week, he spoke on the LSU football defense and the importance of not zeroing in on one specific player this Saturday.

“I think there’s times where you have to understand that there are some things that you have to do to minimize his effect on the game,” coach Brian Kelly said regarding Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III. “I said this to somebody today; last week, we tried to defend everything. And when you try to defend everything, you defend nothing.”

“And when you talk about a guy like Luther (Burden III), or you’re talking about a guy like Malik Nabers, if that’s all your gameplan is, sometimes you don’t defend Theo Wease, who’s an outstanding player. Or you forget about the number two running back in the league. So, yeah, are we gonna have to be aware of him in certain situations? And do we have some things that address it? Absolutely, but you gotta play the other 10 guys too.”

Regardless of who the number one priority is this weekend, the LSU football defense has its hands full with this Missouri offense.

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