Ole Miss Edges Past LSU on Saturday, Hindered by Defensive Woes

With another SEC West matchup looming in the horizon, the Ole Miss Rebels defense must find a solution to their struggles as they face off against the Arkansas Razorbacks this Saturday

During the initial five weeks of college football, the Ole Miss Rebels defense has, at times, underperformed. While they displayed signs of improvement against Alabama last Saturday, they reverted to some struggles against the LSU Tigers this weekend.

Yes, the defense hasn’t been up to par, but the LSU offense is a juggernaut. Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels was phenomenal and has been a man on a mission since LSU fell to Florida State in Week 1. Daniels was able to manipulate the Rebel defensive backs all evening, consistently hitting his receivers on the fade routes. He had over 500 yards all purpose yards, throwing four touchdowns and five total TDs.

Each touchdown thrown by the Tigers was targeted by fade routes to the corner of the end zone. This was a recurring strategy, and the Ole Miss defensive backs struggled to adapt, allowing Daniels to effectively dismantle them throughout the game.

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding

Rebels Head Coach Lane Kiffin was disappointed in the performance of Pete Golding's defense. In yesterday’s press conference, he addressed how they are showing signs his COVID-19 defense, which was horrendous.

“This was like our COVID identity, we couldn't stop anybody. “ Kiffin explained. “I didn’t want that part. I wanted the part of balance on offense: 80 plays with 700 yards. High-play count with 700 yards, no turnovers, no sacks – that’s as good as you can perform really.

“So, yes, I like that and I don’t want to get back into the defense we’ve seen before. We have to get that corrected, because here comes a good quarterback coming in this week.”

No. 16 Ole Miss is set to face off against Arkansas in their third-straight SEC West tilt. Razorback quarterback KJ Jefferson is cerebral and excels at airing out the deep ball with precision. Jefferson has completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,050 yards and 10 touchdowns thus far.

The offense had the responsibility of shouldering the cargo, contributing 55 points and coming out victorious in a rivalry nail-biter due to the defensive struggles. Facing three strong quarterbacks with excellent pocket presence in consecutive games, the defense must find a solution, or KJ Jefferson will present challenges for the Rebels.

Saturday’s kick off is set for 6:30 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on SEC Network