Ole Miss OL Diego Pounds Ready For 'New' Rivalry Challenge Against LSU

Ole Miss Rebels offensive lineman Diego Pounds is new to Oxford, but he is ready for his first taste of the Magnolia Bowl.

Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels offensive linemen Diego Pounds (61) waits for the snap during the second half against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Diego Pounds is a new Ole Miss Rebel, having joined the offensive line from the transfer portal this offseason. He's still learning the ins-and-outs of being on the team in Oxford, but it didn't take him long to find out that when the Rebels face the LSU Tigers, it's a big game.

Saturday will mark Pounds' first taste of action in the Magnolia Bowl, and he knows he has to prepare for a challenge, even if it is a new experience for him. He's learned that much from his teammates thus far.

"Since I am new, I don't really feel what they feel for it," Pounds said on Tuesday, "but these are my brothers, and I trust everything they say. They don't like LSU, it's a rivalry, then I'm going to treat it like a rivalry. At the end of the day, it's football, but I just figured out there's a whole Magnolia Bowl trophy. I'm still new to it."

Pounds and the Rebels' offensive front had a stiff test last week facing off against South Carolina's front-seven, and going on the road this week to take on LSU will be difficult as well. Still, he felt like the preparation leading up to the games has helped the unit come together, especially with multiple linemen currently out with injuries.

"I feel like we were very prepared up front," Pounds said. "I feel like South Carolina had a very good d-line, front seven. I just felt like me and all the boys were out there battling doing the best they could."

He believes that LSU's entire team is talented and dangerous, especially since the Rebels are playing in Baton Rouge, but he knows that the Tigers are putting in plenty of work themselves to get ready for Ole Miss on Saturday.

"I'm just giving them respect because I feel like they're out there grinding every day like we are," Pounds said. "I feel like it's going to be another challenge like last week."

The depth of this offensive line has been tested in recent weeks as names like Caleb Warren and Jeremy James try to work their way back from injuries. Depth was a key bragging point for the line during the offseason, but the game experience should pay off for these new bodies as the season wears on.

"I feel like it's great," Pounds said. "Coming into fall camp, I felt like everybody in that room can play. Getting the boys back is good for us because those are veteran guys, so they see stuff I don't see. I take everything they tell me and listen to it, and I feel like we all do that across the whole o-line."

Pounds and the Rebels will face off against LSU at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, and the game will be televised on ABC.