Ole Miss has massive targets of beating No. 6 Alabama in a few weeks and finally profitable its first SEC Championship since 1963. However to take action, it should get previous rival LSU first.
The Rebels (7-0, 3-0 in SEC) are the final remaining undefeated crew within the SEC West, in order that they have nearly as good a shot as they’ve had in years to recover from the hump. They’re something however a positive guess to get there, nonetheless, as they’re anticipated to lose at LSU (5-2, 3-1 in SEC) this Saturday, per ESPN. ESPN offers the Tigers a win likelihood of 51.3 %.
No. 7 Ole Miss snapped a five-game shedding streak within the collection a 12 months in the past in a 31-17 dwelling victory. The Rebels have misplaced six in a row at Tiger Stadium, with their final win coming in 2008. They got here painfully shut in 2020 to snapping the streak, shedding 53-48 after constructing an eight-point fourth-quarter lead.
LSU leads the all-time collection 64-41-4.
Not solely does LSU have historical past on its facet, however the Tigers’ most up-to-date efficiency ought to give them the arrogance they want heading right into a second-consecutive sport at dwelling in opposition to a top-10 opponent.
For LSU, what a distinction every week made after their free fall in opposition to No. 3 Tennessee. There have been no breakdowns on “Tom Petty Day at The Swamp” in opposition to Florida, because the Tigers roared to a 45-35 win.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared as if he unlocked the code. He delivered this stunning deep ball to Jaray Jenkins, who bumped into the nice huge open.
Daniels completed the evening 23-of-32 for 349 yards and three touchdowns. He added 44 yards and three touchdowns on the bottom. Daniels has thrown for no less than 300 yards in back-to-back video games. He’ll want a 3rd in a row to maintain up with a prolific Ole Miss offense.
The Rebels have an elite speeding assault that may most definitely give a middle-of-the-pack Tigers rush protection matches. They common 271.4 speeding yards whereas LSU permits 145.6.
Their offense has additionally been working at a super-efficient degree. Of their victory over Vanderbilt, for instance, the Commodores completely crushed the Rebels in time of possession, 41:17 to 18:43. Ole Miss nonetheless gained by 24 factors, 52-28. In three SEC video games, Ole Miss’s longest landing drive lasted three minutes and 43 seconds. In different phrases, LSU will not have the ability to play maintain away in opposition to Ole Miss. They’re going to want to attain factors.
Doing so could be powerful in opposition to an Ole Miss protection that has been opportunistic this season.
Final week, the Rebels compelled turnovers on two of Auburn’s first 4 possessions in leaping out to a 21-0 lead. Early within the 12 months, in a enormous victory over Kentucky, Ole Miss compelled turnovers on the Wildcats’ remaining two possessions, each deep in Ole Miss territory.
Daniels has solely thrown one interception on the season, so the protection could have its work reduce out for it. Forcing turnovers Saturday might flip the Rebels’ fortune round for good.
