Welcome everyone to the latest game preview for the LSU Tigers! This week, we look at the Tigers matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels.
Last Week: LSU pulled off a historic comeback in Tiger Stadium against Auburn thanks in large part to Connor Culp nailing a pair of field goals in the final 2:36 in a 27-24 win. The Rebels offense got their first win in SEC play last weekend with a 57-35 win over the lowly Vanderbilt Commodores.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams faced off, Orgeron led the Tigers to a convincing win over the Rebels in Tiger Stadium by the score of 38-21. LSU holds a 60-41-4 overall series lead and have won six of the last ten matchups.
Storylines to Watch:
Stopping Shea: From what we’ve seen in the first season with Shea Patterson at quarterback, this will be a big test for LSU. The sophomore is currently leading the conference in several categories and could be giving the Tigers some headaches on Saturday.
Just last week, Patterson dominated the field against Vanderbilt with 351 yards and four touchdowns. It’s obvious that he will be the quarterback of the future for Ole Miss, but if he can even come close to replicating that performance it could be a long night for the Tigers.
Guice Poised for Big Day: While the Rebels offense has been firing on all cylinders, the defense is a different story. When you’re allowing 36 points and 417 total yards against Vanderbilt, there are some issues defensively. That could be huge for Derrius Guice as he’s been waiting to have a big day offensively all season. The junior has been getting the ball a lot this season, but the numbers that he has aren’t showing the ability that he has to go off for a big day.
The run defense for the Rebels wound up allowing Ralph Webb for 163 yards. Guice may finally have that opportunity to go off for some big runs considering that the Rebels are likely preparing for more jet sweeps after what they’ve seen on film the last two weeks.
Coach O Returning to Oxford: It seems like the biggest storyline for this game should be Ed Orgeron returning to Ole Miss for the first time since 2007. However, it really shouldn’t be. A lot of things have changed since Orgeron left the university. He’s changed his coaching style after taking over for LSU and will have an opportunity to show that against a solid football team.
If this were a difference of five years instead of 10, you’d have a point. That being said, the television crew will undoubtedly harp on it for a good part of the broadcast.
LSU Will Win If:
The Tigers can keep the momentum going heading into the bye week if the run game between the trenches can improve. We’ve seen that the passing game and the jet sweeps can work to great success. It’s to see some running in the trenches is something we’d like to see before the Alabama game.
Ole Miss Will Win If:
The Rebels can get a big upset on Saturday if Shea Patterson can shred the secondary. What Patterson can do on the field has been pretty hard to defend, and DBU will be tested for possibly the first time all season.
-Clint Domingue