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Oh hey! LSU has a game to play on Saturday. The Tigers LSU will be facing this week, are of the slightly northern variety with Mizzou coming to town. It hasn’t been the most impressive season for Missouri, after dropping games against West Virginia and Georgia, with two wins over walkovers Eastern Michigan and Delaware State.
Defensive end Charles Harris
At least recently, Mizzou seems to have the temporary crown of D-Line U, with a plethora of talented linemen coming out of Columbia. Harris looks to keep that legacy alive. He was crazy productive last year with 18 TFLs and seven sacks. He appears to be on pace to match or pass those totals this season.
What could cause problems
Harris is a true two-way player. His calling card is his pass rush skills. He is extremely fast and explodes off the snap, quickly getting up field. Harris pairs that explosive step with speed moves to get to the outside. Perhaps what is most impressive regarding Harris is his refinement as a pass rusher. He employs a multitude of moves, will rush the passer from all over the field, and has a good sense for setting the opponent up with a counter move.
As a run defender, Harris is deceptively stout for being just 255 pounds. He can either shed blockers to stop an incoming runner or use his speed to reach the backfield. Harris has a good sense for where the play is going and moves well in space with a good motor to compliment.
What can be exploited and how
The MU Tiger is going to be very tricky to defend. Specifically as a run defender, Harris has a bit of a tendency to get tall and with him not being a particularly large player, makes him easily blockable. Considering some of the troubles LSU had with Carl Lawson last week, locking up Harris will be key.
Linebacker Michael Scherer
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Although Kentrell Brothers was likely the more decorated Tiger linebacker a season ago, Scherer was solid in his own right. He finished second on the team in tackles and had nine tackles for loss. This year, Schere is picking up where he left off, leading the Tigers in tackles with two tackles for loss and a pick early in the season.
What could cause problems
A four year starter, Scherer is a pretty rangy linebacker. If he is lined up in the middle, he can comes down to the line of scrimmage with a few, quick explosive steps. If he can anticipate the snap correctly, he will easily shoot the gap. In space, he moves well and shows enough speed to get to the edge and can probably do a bit of work covering tight ends.
Scherer also plays with a sort of reckless abandon that can be dangerous if not checked. He likes to take the aggressive play and will pursue the play with maximum intensity. This can lead to him getting in behind the blockers and stopping the play before it has time to develop. Below, Scherer bites on the play fake but shows off his range and recovers enough to limit the yards after the catch.
What can be exploited and how
Scherer could also be described as being over aggressive. There are some instances of biting hard on play fakes and misdirections as well as whiffing on some tackles. At 235 pounds, he isn’t exactly a thumper and it looks like, when offensive linemen lock onto him, he is pretty easy to negate from the play. Scherer might do LSU some favors by over-anticipating a play, which then removes him from where that play is going. If not, it looks like he can be handled one-on-one.