GameDay Primer: No. 20 Ole Miss trying to get off the mat with No. 13 LSU coming to town
The last two seasons have a common thread when it comes to Ole Miss taking on LSU, or the aftermath of playing the Tigers.
Last season Ole Miss suffered its first loss at the hands of LSU in a Baton Rouge blowout after starting the season 7-0. It was the first taste of adversity the Rebels had but they bounced back a week later with a big road win at Texas A&M, before the wheels came off for good against Alabama.
Now, a week after suffering the first setback of this season — another loss to Alabama — Ole Miss has the chance to do what it did in College Station a year ago, but this time at home and to LSU. Time is a flat circle is what is being said here and the Ole Miss barometer for successful seasons seems to hinge on the Alabama and LSU games, every year.
So now No. 20 Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) hosts No. 13 LSU (3-1, 2-0) at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday with the chance to get off the mat and keep the Lane Train on the tracks. Closing out September with four wins out of the season’s first five opportunities would go a long way in helping get the current sour taste off the collective mouth of the football team and its fan base.
“Our challenge is to get better this week. I did tell them, we’ve been in this situation. Happened to be in the same situation two years ago,” said Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin on Monday. “Went 3-0, went into Alabama and actually played a lot worse. I think that game was 35-0 at one point. Ended up coming back from that game and going 10-2. Got a lot of football in front of us, and a huge one this week against I would argue maybe the hottest offense in the country.”
Ole Miss is welcoming in an LSU team that is playing some of its best football after season-opening setback of its own.
The Tigers dropped their opener to Florida State in Orlando and looked like a team that was not sure of its own identity after coming in with SEC and National Championship aspirations.
With a couple ‘get better’ games against Grambling State and a dismantling of Mississippi State to kick off its SEC slate, LSU then battled with Arkansas to come away with a 34-31 win last week inside Tiger Stadium.
This sets up another showdown in the Magnolia Bowl series, which has gone the way of LSU overall and that includes in Oxford. When games have been played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium the Tigers hold an 10-8-1 edge. Ole Miss did take the last game to be played in Oxford, defeating Ed Orgeron’s Tigers 31-17 during the 2021 season for the first win at home in the series since a 38-17 win in 2015.
The two teams have been playing each other since 1894 with meetings taking place in Baton Rouge, Oxford and neutral sites in Vicksburg, Meridian, Jackson and New Orleans.
Tigers Scouting Report
The Ole Miss defense looked up to the challenge of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe but then the second half arrived and the task was too much.
A week later this same defense must now go up against LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is arguably a more elite player at the position than Milroe at this stage of their respective careers.
As for the Ole Miss offense they will be staring at linebacker Harold Perkins, Jr. who dominated the game last year in Baton Rouge. This season Perkins has been used multiple ways, including more of a traditional linebacker earlier in the season. Last week it seems head coach Brian Kelly went back to what works with Perkins, using him in a multitude of roles.
“I don’t know if they’ve talked about it, but it looks like they tried to use (Perkins) as a normal backer in Week 1,” Kiffin said. “Looks like they scratched that after the Florida State game and went back to last year’s plan. Just put him out there, make a few calls with him and let him play. I wish they’d put him back (as a normal linebacker).”
Daniels has two dynamic options in the passing game in national top-15 receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., who both average more than 100 yards per game receiving. Helping supplement that offense is extreme discipline on both sides of the ball, as LSU is the SEC’s least-penalized team with just 15 flags this season.
No Freshman Jitters
Ole Miss has a talented freshman linebacker of its own and with the same last name as the Tigers’ elite linebacker.
Suntarine Perkins broke out onto the scene and introduced himself to SEC offenses last weekend with an impressive showing in Tuscaloosa. Using Perkins as a spy on Milroe worked well in the first half and he finished with a pair of sacks.
He is leading the team in sacks with three and also tied for the FBS lead among all freshmen and leads all SEC freshmen.
“(Perkins is) getting in the film room, he’s learning and he’s steady taking steps week-by-week, day-by-day,” said linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk this week. “I’m proud of him, honestly. It’s amazing seeing him do all that. He’s just going out there being himself. It’s natural for him.”
Sep 23, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) is sacked by Mississippi Rebels linebacker Suntarine Perkins (4) during the first half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
Ole Miss defense causing mayhem
Ole Miss has notched at least 6.0 tackles for loss in each of its first four games, as well as at least 4.0 sacks in three of four contests, and have done so with a wide range of defenders getting in on the action. A total of 11 Rebels have contributed to a quarterback sack, while 18 have chipped in on a TFL.
All that mayhem is paying off, with three forced fumbles including a Khari Coleman sack fumble returned for a TD by Jared Ivey vs. Tulane), three interceptions, 17 QB hurries,15 pass breakups and a blocked field goal. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss has recorded multiple sacks in 28 games, at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 27 games, and at least 4.0 sacks in 16 games.
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