Another week, another top-10 opponent for Ole Miss. This time, the Rebels (3-3, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) enter their matchup Saturday in the Magnolia Bowl with No. 6 LSU (6-1, 3-1 SEC) looking to overcome injury after injury that have the Rebels searching for a respectable two-deep depth chart. Up to 10 players could be out of action for Ole Miss.
“You fear that because of our depth issues that we won’t be able to adequately represent the progress that we’re making against these top teams,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said of the injuries. “That’s part of the game. We won’t blink. We’ll get everybody ready that can play. I know they’ll compete with great passion for our university Saturday evening.”
Ole Miss enters the contest coming off a 41-38 heartbreaking loss to Texas A&M, while LSU took down Florida last weekend, 17-16. The Tigers lead the all-time series over the Rebels 58-39-4, including wins in the last three meetings.
“A difficult stretch we’ve had,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said in his weekly Monday press conference. “It’s been a great challenge. It’s been one where we’ve learned quite a bit about ourselves. I continue to be extremely proud of the way our kids compete and prepare. It was great being back home in front of our home crowd. It definitely is a boost for our kids and raises our level. We’re going to need that for the remainder of the year.”
This game becomes even more interesting this week due to the long list of injuries that racked up for the Rebels during the Texas A&M game.
Big names such as junior defensive ends C.J. Johnson (foot) and Carlos Thompson (stinger) as well as freshman defensive end Robert Nkemdiche (hamstring) will definitely miss Saturday’s game. Johnson confirmed on his Twitter account Thursday that he will have surgery on his injured foot and miss the remainder of the season. Johnson will receive a medical redshirt, so he will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Senior running back Jeff Scott (thigh bruise), sophomore corner Mike Hilton (hamstring) and junior linebacker Serderius Bryant (concussion) are all expected to miss the game this weekend. Senior quarterback Barry Brunetti (shoulder), sophomore safety Chief Brown (unknown), sophomore defensive tackle Issac Gross (groin) and freshman linebacker Temario Strong (unknown) are banged up but expected to give it a go.
The depleted defensive side of Ole Miss will have a challenge against a Tiger offense that has improved drastically since last season.
Senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger will lead the way for the Tigers on offense. He has thrown for 1,890 yards this season with 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Freeze said he has seen improvement in the signal caller, especially since facing him last season.
“He was good, and he was certainly good in our game last year, but he certainly has improved,” Freeze said. “The offensive mentality has changed a bit. They’re certainly playing their strengths of winning one-on-one matchups to the outside. You have to load the box to stop the run. Mettenberger isn’t missing many open receivers when he has them. He’s making very, very good throws and managing the game extremely well. He’s one of the better guys we’ve faced this year.”
Mettenberger will be surrounded by weapons on the LSU offense, including sophomore running back Jeremy Hill and junior receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.
Hill leads the team on the ground with 715 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while Landry and Beckham are serious aerial threats down the field. Landry leads the team with 46 catches and seven touchdowns and is second to Beckham with 647 yards. Beckham is second on the team in catches with 37 and touchdowns with six and leads the team with 733 yards.
“Defending those two receivers, with that running back, is a different animal,” Freeze said. “You’re going to be put on an island quite a bit. Again, our goal will be — like we did with (Mike) Evans — to try and eliminate the number of explosive plays they have. We’ll have to manage the game that way. They’re good enough that they’re going to win some of those battles. You have to commit people to help with the run game, also.”
The Tigers will also bring in arguably one of the best defenses in the Southeastern Conference, and the Ole Miss offense will be forced to deal with a physical and athletic group. LSU ranks fourth in total defense in the conference, giving up just 348.9 yards per game. The Tigers also have the fourth-best scoring defense in the conference, giving up 22 points per game.
“(LSU defensive coordinator John) Chavis has been around for years and knows exactly what he wants to do,” Freeze said. “He has the athletes there to do it. I know their offense is getting a lot of ink, but I think everyone understands the type of defense that is expected at LSU. Nothing has changed this year, they still have those athletes over there.”
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN2.
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