The Preview: LSU Tigers Host Ole Miss Rebels in Pivotal SEC Showdown

No. 13 LSU prepares for a Top 15 battle against Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels, countdown to kickoff begins now.

Sep 21, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on during the first half against the UCLA Bruins at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

No. 13 LSU, winners of four straight, returns to Tiger Stadium after the bye week to host No. 9 Ole Miss for a much anticipated Saturday Night in Death Valley.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:44 p.m. CT on ABC and the LSU Sports Radio Network. Sean McDonough (pxp), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter) will be on the call.

Not only will Saturday night will be LSU’s Homecoming game, but it will also mark the celebration of 100 Years of legendary Tiger Stadium, one of the most iconic venues in all of sports.

“What I’m excited about, and what our players are excited about, is an SEC game in Tiger Stadium,” said head coach Brian Kelly. “The energy, the excitement – not that the other games weren’t exciting – but this is different. It all rises to a new level.”

The Tigers used to the bye week to improve in all phases after beating South Alabama, 42-10, in their last contest on Sept. 28. Now, with two off weeks sprinkled into a college football season, LSU will focus more on recovery the second time around before the Alabama game on Nov. 9.

“We got a chance to really work on a number of things that needed improvement within our team,” Kelly said. “Early in the season, it wasn’t really as much of a recovery week for us as much as it was shoring up some things offensively, defensively, and on special teams.”

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier enters Saturday’s contest as the SEC leader in passing touchdowns with 15. His 330.4 yards passing per game ranks No. 2 in the league and No. 5 nationally. In five games, LSU’s QB1 has completed 138-of-198 passes for 1,652 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Freshman Caden Durham leads the Tigers in rushing with 244 yards and 3 touchdowns on 29 carries. Coach Kelly said on Thursday that he expects the freshman to play against the Rebels after leaving the South Alabama game with an injury.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks (41 tackles, 4.0 TFL) and Greg Penn (38 TFL) have led the defense through the first five weeks of the season. Defensive end Bradyn Swinson has posted five sacks, six tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, while Sai’vion Jones has tallied 4.5 sacks, 5.5 TFL, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, creating havoc on opposing quarterbacks all year long.

“They do such a great job for having answer for virtually everything you do,” Kelly said of Ole Miss’ offense. “We have to mix it up. You can’t play a lot of soft coverages, or else they just exploit you on the perimeter with quick game and run after the catch. The challenges within this offense that we face are perimeter throws, tackling in space, a lot of the things that we did poorly last year, we will have to do better this year.”

Ole Miss is led by senior quarterback Jaxson Dart, who has posted 2,100 yards passing for 13 touchdowns. Senior running back Henry Parrish Jr. leads the team in rushing with 570 yards on 91 carries and nine touchdown scores. At receiver, senior wideout Tre Harris is by far the most productive pass-catcher with 885 yards on 52 receptions for five touchdowns.

Defensively, the Rebels are led by junior defensive tackle Walter Nolan, who has 24 tackles on the year, along with 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Linebacker Chris Paul Jr. leads the unit in tackles with 41, while linebacker TJ Dottery and cornerback Trey Amos have 38 and 28, respectively.

“It’s a team that is prolific offensively and playing great defense right now,” Kelly said about Ole Miss. “We have a great challenge in front of us. We’re excited about it. We know where we’re at in terms of the next seven weeks we have SEC opponents.”

Via LSU Release

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