BATON ROUGE – The Ole Miss game has produced some of the great moments in LSU football history. From Billy Cannon’s Halloween run in 1959, to Bert Jones’ TD pass to Brad Davis with no time left on the clock in 1972, to last year’s win by the Tigers in Death Valley where LSU knocked off undefeated and third-ranked Ole Miss, these two teams seem to bring out the best in one another.
This year’s contest should be no different as both teams go into tomorrow’s game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in need of a win. LSU has lost two straight games for just the third time under Les Miles and head into the game with a 7-2 overall mark and a 4-2 league record. The Tigers are coming off a disappointing 31-14 loss to Arkansas last week in Tiger Stadium.
Despite the back-to-back losses to Alabama and Arkansas, LSU still finds itself in position for a berth in a New Year’s Six Bowl game, perhaps even the Sugar Bowl. In order to get there though, LSU must beat Ole Miss on Saturday and then close out the season with a victory over Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU brings a No. 15 ranking in the College Football Playoff poll into the contest. The Tigers are No. 17 in both the USA Today Coaches poll and the Associated Press Top 25.
“The attitude and preparation has been really good this week,” LSU coach Les Miles said after Thursday’s practice. “We have a good view of what needed to be fixed. The players have taken it to heart and done a nice job of accomplishing the game plan. The tempo has been good this week and the players came to work each day in good spirits. I’m excited about taking the field with this team on Saturday.”
Ole Miss, which is coming off an open date, is No. 22 in the College Football Playoff rankings and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches poll and the AP poll. The Rebels lost to Arkansas, 53-52, in overtime in their last outing. After opening the year with four straight wins, the Rebels have gone 3-3 in their last six games. The Rebels are 7-3 overall and mathematically still alive for their first-ever berth in the SEC Championship Game with a 4-2 league mark.
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GameDay Info #17 LSU (7-2, 4-2 SEC) at #25 Ole Miss (7-3, 4-2 SEC) – GameDay Central: Video, Social & More Saturday, Nov. 21 Listen Online (12:30 p.m. CT): Geaux Zone | Apps SEC Network Replays: GameDay Forecast Times of Interest Friday Saturday 11 a.m. CT 12:50 p.m. CT Next Game: LSU vs. Texas A&M |
Kickoff for the contest is set for 2:39 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS with Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Allie LaForce (sideline reporter) on the call.
The game will also be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network with Patrick Wright calling the action along with former LSU great Doug Moreau (analyst) and Tiger special teams sensation Gordy Rush reporting from the sidelines.
For the third straight week, Wright will fill in for Hawthorne, who missed the Alabama and Arkansas games after undergoing a successful medical procedure in late October. Those two games, along with the Ole Miss contest, are the only games that Hawthorne has missed since taking over as Voice of the Tigers in 1984. Hawthorne is expected to return to the booth for the season-finale against Texas A&M next week.
A year ago, LSU stunned previously unbeaten and No. 3 ranked Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium, 10-7, in a game that saw the Tiger defense hold the high-scoring Rebels to season-lows for points (7) and yards (317). That game also featured a heavy-dose of Leonard Fournette for the Tigers as the true freshman rushed for 113 yards in helping LSU to the victory in Tiger Stadium.
“It’s always an exciting game,” LSU coach Les Miles said of the game with Ole Miss. “There’s always something to this game. Great endings, memorable moments; this LSU-Ole Miss rivalry is one of the great matchups each year in college football and this year should be no different.
“Ole Miss has a very talented team with a big play offense and a lot of playmakers on defense. Coach Freeze has done a great job there. This is will be another hard-fought LSU-Ole Miss game.”
LSU has won three of four and nine of the last 13 games against the Rebels. Nine of the last 13 games between the teams have been decided by six points or less, including the last meeting between the teams in Oxford when the Rebels won, 27-24.
Against Ole Miss, the Tigers will look to get Heisman Trophy candidate running back Leonard Fournette unleashed again. Fournette still maintains his lead as the nation’s top running back with 1,474 yards for an average 163.8 yards per game. After rushing for at least 100 yards in LSU’s first eight games, Fournette was limited to 31 yards against Alabama and 91 last week against Arkansas.
“We have to be able to run the football,” Miles said. “We haven’t rushed the ball the last couple of games like we should have. That’s has to be emphasized. But, we are also going to have to throw it. Our goal is to be balanced on offense. We are too talented in the passing game with our quarterback and our receivers to not throw the football.”
Quarterback Brandon Harris has connected on 102-of-182 passes for 1,497 yards, 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions for the Tigers. His top targets are sophomore Malachi Dupre (31 rec., 529 yards, 6 TDs) and junior Travin Dural (28 rec., 533 yards, 3 TDs).
As a unit, LSU’s offense is averaging 33.6 points and 419.3 total yards (253.0 rushing, 166.3 passing) per game. They will face an Ole Miss defense that will be without its leading tackler in linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, who will miss the game due to an undisclosed matter. The Rebels are allowing 23.0 points and 374.0 total yards per game.
LSU’s defense will face its biggest challenge to date as the Rebels, behind the SEC’s top rated quarterback in Chad Kelly, are scoring 40.7 points per game and racking up 526.6 total yards a contest (177.8 rushing, 348.8 passing).
Kelly, in his first year at Ole Miss, has thrown for 3,224 yards, 23 touchdowns in completing 65.7 percent of his passes. His top target is LaQuon Treadwell, who has caught 68 passes for 1,002 yards and seven touchdowns. The Rebels have six players with at least 25 receptions this year.
Defensively, the Tigers allowing 24.3 points and 342.8 total yards per game (133.9 rushing, 208.9 passing). Linebackers Kendell Beckwith (67 tackles) and Deion Jones (67 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks) are two of LSU’s top producers on defense. Defensive end Lewis Neal leads LSU in sacks with 7.0 and tackles for loss with 8.5, while safety Jamal Adams has 51 tackles and leads the team with four interceptions.
“We are going to have to take the line of scrimmage,” Miles said of slowing the Ole Miss offense. “The defensive line has to stop the rush and put them in predictable third-down situations. This is a very talented offensive football team. They make big plays. We have to be sound on defense and play our assignment.”