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Football Travels to Oxford for Highly Anticipated Matchup with Ole MissFootball Travels to Oxford for Highly Anticipated Matchup with Ole Miss
by Harrison Valentine

Football Travels to Oxford for Highly Anticipated Matchup with Ole Miss

After nine months of anticipation, No. 7 LSU will travel to Oxford on Saturday night for a primetime showdown with No. 8 Ole Miss. It will be the Tigers’ first game of conference play and Lane Kiffin’s first trip back to Oxford as LSU’s head coach.

Kickoff is set for 6:49 p.m. CT on ABC and the LSU Sports Radio Network. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge will be on the broadcast call, while Chris Blair, Jacob Hester and Gordy Rush will anchor the radio airwaves.

College GameDay will also be on hand for the weekend’s premier national game, making it two out of the first three weeks that LSU has been featured on the show. 

"I know a lot is going to be made about me, but this is about the players being prepared really well and playing really well,” Kiffin said on Monday “This is about our guys in their first SEC game. It won't be about all the other stuff and all the other noise."

LSU is coming off a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech last week, 35 of those points coming in the second half. It was another stellar defensive outing as linebacker TJ Dottery led the team with nine tackles, while Whit Weeks finished second with seven tackles. Edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen tallied five tackles and three sacks.

Umanmielen, the Ole Miss transfer, has registered 32 pass rush snaps this season for the Tigers, per PFF. He has five sacks. LSU’s sack record is held by Arden Key, who finished with 12 sacks in 2016.

Saturday will be the first time LSU and Ole Miss meet as Top 10 teams since 1962 when the Tigers were No. 4 and Ole Miss No. 6 (Ole Miss won, 15-7, in Tiger Stadium). It will also be Kiffin’s much-anticipated return to Ole Miss after coaching in Oxford for six seasons, leading the Rebels to a 55-19 record (.743).

"I told the players today: you don't have anything to worry about as far as attention on you all week,” Kiffin said. “You just get to go play.”

The Rebels are led by sixth-year QB Trinidad Chambliss, who has registered a passing touchdown in 15 straight games, which is the fourth-longest streak in Ole Miss program history. Last year against LSU, Chambliss passed for 314 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 71 yards.

"That's a big challenge for us,” Kiffin said. He doesn't make many mistakes. A really mature quarterback. You are going to have to play really well for a long period of time. You're dealing with someone with a lot of maturity and big plays in big time games."

Ole Miss is also led on offense by running back Kewan Lacy and wide receiver Deuce Alexander. Lacy has recorded 148 yards and three touchdowns through two games, while Alexander has tallied 235 yards and two touchdowns receiving. 

Defensively, the linebacker trio of Luke Ferrelli, Tah’j Butler and Keaton Thomas lead the team with 12 tackles each.

"They've been playing this matchup for a long time and this is the first time (since 1962) that both teams are in the Top 10,” Kiffin said. “That shows it's the most relevant matchup of these teams in 64 years. That's a really neat thing."

Fans can also get an all-access look into Lane Kiffin's first season in Baton Rouge by watching The Difference, LSU Football's weekly docuseries on LSU+, following the Tigers all year long with exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes content you won’t see anywhere else. Start watching today.