BATON ROUGE — Eleven seniors, most of whom have played a key role in LSU’s return to prominence on the national scene, will bid farewell to Tiger Stadium on Saturday as 14th-ranked Tigers hosts Ole Miss in the home finale.
While Saturday’s game will be an emotional night for those seniors, it’s also an opportunity for the Tigers to better position themselves towards a New Year’s Day bowl game. LSU, winners of four straight overall and 10 in-a-row in Tiger Stadium, brings a 7-2 mark into the game.
Ole Miss, on the other hand, has struggled in recent weeks, losing three straight, including last week’s 35-3 setback at the hands of Arkansas. The Rebels will bring a 3-6 record into a sold out Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff between the Tigers and Rebels is set for 7 p.m. in Tiger Stadium with TigerVision bringing the game to a pay-per-view audience. Last year, LSU beat the Rebels, 17-14, in Oxford on its way to claiming both the Southeastern Conference and BCS National titles.
While Saturday’s matchup may feature two teams that appear to be going in opposite directions, LSU coach Nick Saban is quick to warn that this is a rivalry game between conference foes and that anything can happen.
“I think Ole Miss has certainly shown the ability to play some outstanding football this year,” Saban said earlier this week. “Beating South Carolina at South Carolina was a great win for them, and they played Tennessee right to the wire in a really tough game.
“You can say what you want, think what you want, but we’ve won two games against these guys in the last two years by a total of four points. This is a rivalry game, and emotion has a lot to do with it. So, anybody who’s not ready for a fight and a tough game in this game is probably not thinking right. This team has enough good football players to beat anybody that they play, and they’ve certainly played extremely well against us in every game that we’ve played against them since I’ve been here.”
Against Ole Miss, the Tigers will feature a Rebel offense that has made a habit of using two, sometimes, three quarterbacks in a game. Ethan Flatt leads the Rebels in passing with 1,425 yards and six touchdowns, while Robert Lane has rushed for 169 yards and one score from the quarterback position. Both players, along with Michael Spurlock, are expected to take snaps for the Rebels on Saturday.
“Defensively, this has been like a dual preparation for us,” Saban said. “They run some option, and done some things with certain quarterbacks in the game and then with other guys it’s pretty much a drop-back kind of offense like they’ve been before. The combination of those two things has made it a little more difficult preparation for us defensively.”
While the Rebels will try to keep the Tigers off-balance with rotating quarterbacks, LSU will match Ole Miss with the nation’s No. 3 rated defense. The Tiger defense, led by senior defensive end Marcus Spears, is allowing 249.8 yards per game and just 15.2 points per game.
Offensively, the Tigers will continue to rotate between quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Marcus Randall. The duo has combined to complete 135 of 238 passes for 1,851 yards and 14 touchdowns. Craig Davis (34 receptions for 540 yards, 1 TD) and Dwayne Bowe (28 receptions for 422 yards and 5 TDs) have been the favorite targets for the Tiger quarterbacks.
When the Tigers aren’t throwing the ball, they’ll rely on the running of Joseph Addai (507 yards, 3 TDs) and Alley Broussard (427 yards, 6 TDs). Last week, Addai rushed for a career-best 99 yards and one touchdown, including a 47-yard run, in the 26-10 win over Alabama.
Prior to the game on Saturday, LSU’s 11 seniors, along with members of their family, will be recognized on the field. Among those playing in their final game in Tiger Stadium on Saturday include: wide receiver Steve Mares, defensive back Greg Hercules, offensive lineman Harold Bicknell, linebacker Dorsett Buckels, defensive end Jarvus Ryes, linebacker Lionel Turner, center Ben Wilkerson, quarterback Marcus Randall, cornerback Travis Daniel, cornerback Cory Webster, and defensive end Marcus Spears.
“Going into this game I know this is going to be an emotional time for our seniors, who are going to be playing their last game in Tiger Stadium,” Saban said. “I think that it’s a tribute to our fans and supporters that we have that playing in our stadium, Tiger Stadium, is a special experience for our players. I know I speak for our players when I say how much they appreciate that and how difficult it is for them to know that this will be their last game to play in Tiger Stadium.”