With LSU running a pro-style offense, opposing defensive coordinators are often under the impression that their team will leave victorious if they stack the box and force the Tigers to beat them through the air. With their 6-0 start, the Tigers have used their balanced attack on offense to post a 4-0 SEC mark. As starting quarterback Brandon Harris progresses each game, he has continuously connected with two wideouts who love to take advantage of one-on-one coverage.
Wide receivers Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural had large expectations and even larger shoes to fill after LSU greats Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft. Similar to Beckham Jr. and Landry, Dupre and Dural were both born and raised in Louisiana. Both wideouts were heavily recruited but believed taking their talents to Baton Rouge was an obvious decision.
Dupre, a true sophomore out of New Orleans, noted that his friendship with Landry and Beckham Jr. during his high school career confirmed his decision to select LSU.
“Those guys helped me along with my recruiting process. They told me to go where I was comfortable,” Dupre said. “I saw the success they were having on the field. I knew LSU had history of putting players in the NFL, and that’s my main goal.”
Raised in Breaux Bridge, La., redshirt junior Dural’s collegiate decision proved to be just as simple.
“Four or five of my relatives played here,” Dural said. “It was about thirty minutes away from my hometown. I wouldn’t say I looked at going anywhere else. I’ve always been an LSU fan, and when the opportunity presented itself to come here, that was something I had to do.”
Through the first six games of the season, Dupre and Dural have combined for 37 receptions for 605 yards with five touchdowns and have each recorded a 100-yard game within the past two weeks—Dural against South Carolina and Dupre against Florida.
Although Dural and Dupre may share common ground in regards to the difficulty of selecting which college to attend, their differing styles of play on the field diversifies the LSU passing game.
Dupre, an imposing target at 6-3, may not haul in the 80-yard touchdown each game, but the sure-handed wide receiver is whom Harris looks to when a completion is needed. In the red zone, Dupre is Harris’ go-to-guy, but the developed chemistry between these two also extends outside the twenty-yard line.
“We know that we can show people what we can possibly do through the air,” Dupre said. “I know how good the rushing attack has been, but I feel like everybody knows how good the receivers are on the team that we have. I feel like what we did against South Carolina is going to show people that they are going to have to stop us with both the run and the pass, especially with Brandon’s ability to throw the ball.”
The connection between Dupre and Harris is a progressing force to be reckoned with, but Dural provides an entirely different nightmare for defenses that can result in a touchdown each time the ball is snapped.
It is imperative for the opposing defenses to account for the speed and versatile play-making ability of Dural, but his most important asset—his game experience—complements his reliability late in close games, which helps lead the Tigers’ receiving corps.
“I wouldn’t say I have pressure, but I’m the oldest, I’ve played in more big games. I’ve watched two great players play in front of me. I have things I can tell the other wide receivers about things they’re going through because I’ve been through them,” Dural said.
Dural’s experience was fueled by a 49-yard, game-winning touchdown against Arkansas in 2013, and after Beckham and Landry departed, he became the go-to guy last season, forcing him to step up as a leader and assisting others as they enter the LSU program.
“We’re very close,” Dupre explained. “When I came in, Travin was one of the guys who helped me out the most. He was the only guy who had any playing experience going into my freshman year. He was one of the guys I leaned on the most. He was there for me.”
Dupre and Dural have a connection on the field that allows them to consistently benefit from one another and keeps the opposition unaware of who will end up with the ball in his hands.
“We’ve grown a lot. Dupre came in ready to work,” Dural said. “He likes to joke around, but on the football field, he’s a hard worker. Everyday he’s in the film room, trying to learn defenses and defensive backs going against him, so he can exploit them on Saturdays.”
While both starting wide receivers’ main priority is to conclude this season with LSU as hot as it started, Dupre and Dural’s potential to compete professionally is evident. New wide receiver coach Tony Ball may not receive the praise or publicity he deserves, but his ability to develop players cannot be overlooked.
When Ball first arrived for spring practice, Dural explained that Ball’s attention to detail amplified the entire wide receiving corps’ game.
“Coach Ball was a guy who came in and wanted to focus on the little things,” Dural said. “He knew we had a group full of raw, talented individuals. He wanted us to grow in places that we never really worked on. Those things he worked on in the spring and summer really showed in fall camp. We grew every day, and we’re still getting better.”
This duo has the drive to learn and grow from an individual standpoint, but their ultimate goal each Saturday is to win. The team understands the concept of working together and holding each other accountable, which is the true root of their success thus far this season.
“This summer everyone bought into being a family, and it showed every day,” Dupre said. “Through summer running and workouts, we pushed each other to our limits. During the season, we have that in the back of our minds every game, and we don’t want all this talent to go to waste.”
To this date, there is no statistic that measures one’s ability to make others around them improve through buying into a full-team effort. However, these wideouts understand that their individual performances mean nothing if the team as a whole plays poorly.
“Knowing that the work we did this summer has paid off to the point that we are this season, being 6-0, is probably the most gratifying thing because I know how hard we have worked with all of this talent we have as a team,” Dupre said. “I feel like we are taking advantage of it and doing the best that we possibly can to prepare for each team, and so far it’s paid off.”