Missouri enters Saturday’s game against undefeated Florida in a pretty good position.
A win will move the Tigers to 2-1 in the SEC East and give them the tiebreaker over the current division leaders. Doing so won’t be easy, but we’ve been foolish to count out Missouri in past years.
Here are five players to watch when the Tigers host Florida:
1. TE Clayton Echard – The redshirt senior has become Missouri’s top tight end option following Sean Culkin’s injury and Jason Reese’s inability to hold down his spot behind the usual starter. While he only has 1 reception this season, expect Echard to become a crucial safety net for Tigers QB Drew Lock against Florida’s pass rush. The two had good chemistry during camp.
2. LB Michael Scherer – Scherer is quietly putting together another solid season. His 33 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss have been overshadowed by the performance of fellow linebacker Kentrell Brothers, but it will be on Scherer to disrupt Florida QB Will Grier’s rhythm as the defensive signal-caller.
3. S Ian Simon – Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves III is the most talented defensive back in this game, but Simon is coming off a fantastic performance against South Carolina. The redshirt senior captain intercepted a pass, broke up another and added 3 tackles against the Gamecocks. A similar performance by Simon could negate any havoc Hargreaves causes Missouri’s offense.
4. WR DeSean Blair – The most exciting receiver during fall camp, Blair returns as the backup X receiver after missing the last two games with a concussion he suffered while in a car accident. Blair could add some much-needed vertical movement to Missouri’s passing game. Plus, he got plenty of work in with Lock in August.
5. RT Nate Crawford – Missouri’s Week 1 starter is back atop the depth chart after suffering an ankle injury at Kentucky. He’ll have his hands full against the likes of Florida defensive linemen Jonathan Bullard, Alex McCalister and Joey Ivie, but Tigers coaches have clearly placed their trust in the redshirt sophomore.
Mike Shaw is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Missouri, Texas A&M and Arkansas. Follow Mike on Twitter @michaelvshaw
