Missouri’s 5 impact players to watch against Mississippi State

Missouri is craving a sign of life on offense.

If the Tigers want to compete with No. 24 Mississippi State, a dominating defense may not be enough. The Bulldogs are averaging a little more than 35 points per game, so Missouri can’t afford to be one-dimensional.

Here are Missouri’s 5 impact players to watch in Thursday night’s matchup against Mississippi State.

1. QB Drew Lock — With Maty Mauk suspended for the season, Lock has to prove that he can move the offense. In the Tigers’ last three games, Lock has completed less than 43 percent of his passes and failed to throw a touchdown.

2. LB Kentrell Brothers — Kentrell Brothers leads the SEC with 108 tackles — next is Auburn’s Johnathon Ford with 86.

3. RB Ish Witter — Missouri has yet to find an effective running back with Russell Hansbrough fighting injuries. Witter, a small back, ran for 98 yards in a win over South Carolina.

4. DE Walter Brady — Brady leads the Tigers defense with 6 sacks. At 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, he is quick off the edge and creates a matchup nightmare for opposing offenses. The Bulldogs have only given up 10 sacks all season, so he will have his work cut out for him.

5. J’Mon Moore — Moore had four catches against Vanderbilt. With Nate Brown drawing much of the attention, Moore should get a lot of single coverage looks. It’s just a matter of getting him the ball.

Sean Labar

Sean Labar is an SEC football contributor for Saturday Down South.