Razorbacks Can See LSU-Ole Miss Tangle Tonight for Scouting

Fans can scout two of the next three Arkansas opponents when Rebels visit Death Valley as the favorite

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Rarely is LSU an underdog when playing at home, especially at night when the rabid crowd makes Tiger Stadium a bit of a nightmare for visiting teams. But the No. 13 Bayou Bengals are indeed getting points when hosting No. 9 Ole Miss tonight.

Arkansas fans — as well as UA players and coaches — can get a peek at the Razorbacks' next opponent, No. 13 LSU, and the team they'll face in three weeks, No. 9 Ole Miss. UA coaches will certainly be scouting the Tigers and Rebels tonight as they conclude their first bye week of the 12-game, 14-week schedule.

The Razorbacks mostly rested and hoped to get healthy during the bye week. Particularly, that means starting quarterback Taylen Green, who suffered a lower left leg injury in the second half of Arkansas' monumental 19-14 win against No. 4 Tennessee last Saturday.

Green's status remains unclear for next weekend's 6 p.m. game against LSU at Razorback Stadium. It'll be televised on ESPN.

LSU Tigers coach Brian Kelly talks to South Alabama Jaguars coach Major Applewhite during warmups before a game against the South Alabama Jaguars at Tiger Stadium. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Ole Miss got healthier in the last 24 hours as star receiver Tre Harris was upgraded to "probable" on the SEC injury report Friday night. Harris left last week's game at South Carolina with an ankle sprain and was deemed "questionable" on the SEC injury report at mid-week.

The Rebels' senior wideout from Louisiana leads the nation in receiving yards (885) and yards per game (147.5). The 6-3, 210-pounder burned LSU in last year's shootout in Oxford with eight catches for 153 yards and the game-winning 13-yard touchdown grab with just 39 seconds on the clock.

The 55-49 win is part of Ole Miss' 34-11 record since 2021, the third most victories among SEC teams.

Harris and Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart are big reasons why the Rebels are favored by 3.5 points. Tonight's kickoff in Death Valley, perhaps the most difficult setting for a night game in the whole world of college football, is at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) celebrates a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

LSU is 4-1 overall, 1-0 in the SEC but a bit hampered by injuries on both sides of the ball. Ole Miss is 5-1 and 1-1 after bouncing back from a 20-17 home loss to Kentucky by stomping South Carolina 27-3 in Columbia. last week.

LSU is coming off a bye week and has won four straight since losing 27-20 to Southern Cal in the season opener in Las Vegas. The Tigers rallied to win 36-33 at South Carolina and also beat UCLA 34-17 in Baton Rouge.

The Tigers are led by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who threw two TD passes, and tailback Caden Durham, who ran for 128 yards on just seven carries in the 42-10 home win against South Alabama two weeks ago. Durham scored on LSU's first play from scrimmage on a 71-yard pass from Nussmeier as the Tigers amassed a season-high 665 yards from scrimmage..

The Rebels are confident their high-powered offense can move the ball and bring home a win but there is a little word — history — that is not in their favor. Every season is different, of course, and players don't' care much what came before them but here's a number that nobody in Oxford wanted to see: Zero wins at LSU since 2007.

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin interviews prior to the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Tigers lead 65-42-4 in the series that dates back to 1894 and enjoy an overwhelming 43-24-1 home-field edge against Ole Miss.

It's the first meeting with both teams ranked since 2003. In the 11 games they've played with both teams ranked, LSU leads 7-4.

So, why is Ole Miss favored — and why will the Rebs also likely be favored when they invade Fayetteville for an early kickoff on November 2? Mostly, it's that pitch-and-catch combo of Dart and Harris.

Plus, thanks to an easy non-conference schedule, the Rebels are first in the country in offense and second in defense. They've got athletes and talent on both sides of the ball — as does LSU, of course — but Dart gives coach Lane Kiffin's team an edge over most folks all by themselves.

Dart ranks top-five in six passing categories and is PFF’s current top-rated QB with a 91.8 grade. He's one of just four active FBS quarterbacks with 9,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards.

That doesn't mean he can walk out of Razorback Stadium or Death Valley with victories, though. The wounded Tigers will put up a fight tonight. Then they'll come to Fayetteville where the well-rested Razorbacks will be ready to knock off their second straight ranked opponent.

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