LSU Football: Three Tigers To Watch Against Mississippi State

No. 14 LSU has an opportunity to make a statement on Saturday in Starkville when Brian Kelly’s program hits the road to take on Mississippi State in Davis Wade Stadium.

The Tigers are fresh off of a convincing victory over in-state foe Grambling State, and after handling business against an inferior opponent, conference play has arrived.

LSU will need all hands on deck against a Bulldogs squad led by first-year head coach Zach Arnett, but who must step up in order to get it done in Week 3?

Three Tigers to Watch:

Logan Diggs - Running Back

This one should come as no surprise. As the Tigers continue working on their rushing attack, while finding a true RB1, Diggs could be the answer.

A player who has the chance to be the dynamic, explosive back Kelly and Co. are looking for, Week 3 will be his time to shine.

Diggs missed the Tigers’ season opener against Florida State as he continued nursing a hamstring injury suffered during the offseason, but now back at full strength, this program will fall back on the Notre Dame transfer to take on a major workload against the Bulldogs.

In Week 2 against Grambling State, it was a true tune-up game for the Tigers. It provided Diggs a chance to get his feet back underneath him while getting into a groove.

Ending the night with 115 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown, the warm up game is in the rearview mirror with SEC play arriving.

Look for Diggs to be a player this coaching staff relies on to make big-time plays against a Mississippi State squad ready to battle.

Harold Perkins - Linebacker

Harold Perkins has been a main topic of conversation over the last few weeks. A player who many believe is being misused defensively, Week 3 will be an opportunity for this coaching staff to put its star defensive player in position to be successful.

Perkins is in the midst of a transition period. He’s moving from a "pass rush specialist" role to inside linebacker, and with learning curves, it’s raised eyebrows about whether the appropriate actions are being taken.

In Week 2, we saw defensive coordinator Matt House use Perkins at both inside linebacker as well as rushing the passer. Against a Mississippi State squad, it’s imperative Perkins is effective with the LSU secondary in question.

The SEC opener will provide the Tigers with an opportunity to get Perkins back on track before their gauntlet of conference games begins in late September/October. Keep an eye on the usage of Perkins in Starkville.

Greg Brooks - Defensive Back

The LSU secondary has been nothing short of disappointing through two weeks, but one bright spot has been the production of senior safety Greg Brooks.

He’s been a Swiss Army knife that has provided the Tigers with a reliable, heavy-hitter in the defensive backfield.

A Louisiana native, Brooks epitomizes the “DBU” culture with his tenacity and swagger, and with a secondary that has struggled mightily this season (even if it is a small sample size), they’ll need someone to pick up the slack.

Insert Brooks. The Tigers have shaken up their secondary in a variety of ways with Brooks playing both nickel and safety through two weeks. No matter where he lines up on Saturday against Mississippi State, expect Brooks to make an impact in some way, shape or form.