Featuring The Daily Mississippian Sports Editor Dylan Rubino (@drubino11) and football writer Cody Thomason (@thecodythomason)
•LSU has struggled all season with getting consistent quarterback play. With the Ole Miss secondary playing as well as it has, do you see them taking advantage of that?
Dylan- Because of the inconsistency at quarterback, LSU will try to win the game with running the ball and take pressure off sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings. LSU will have to pass the ball eventually, and when they do, the Ole Miss secondary will be licking their chops at the opportunity to make plays. The Tigers only average 194 passing yards per game, which is 98th in the country. If the Rebel defense finds a way to slow down the running game, they can use their strong secondary to take control of the game.
Cody- I think LSU’s problems with passing will only be compounded against Ole Miss. The Tigers have played both sophomore Anthony Jennings and freshman Brandon Harris at quarterback, with Jennings getting the majority of the snaps. Both can make electric plays and present a dual threat for defenses, but they both struggle with passing and are not ready to be SEC starting quarterbacks. Ole Miss should have a great day in the secondary and be able to take advantage of the Tigers’ inexperience at QB.
•College Gameday will be at Baton Rouge Saturday and the game will be played at night, where LSU thrives under Les Miles. Do you see this having a significant impact on the outcome?
Dylan- Under Les Miles, LSU has only lost twice at home when the game starts in the evening. The first time was against Alabama in 2012, and the other was this season against Mississippi State. Death Valley is a very tough place to play in no matter what time the game starts. With this being a rivalry game and homecoming, LSU will be very motivated to play against Ole Miss, especially since they have a chance to knock off a top three team. The media attention with College GameDay is nothing new to LSU, and that will motivate them also.
Cody- I think the heightened atmosphere certainly adds something to the game, which will help increase the excitement for the matchup, but I think Ole Miss will be able to handle it. Home-field advantage at Death Valley certainly helps LSU, but the Rebels have proven they can handle big environments and loud stadiums. I expect both teams to be fired up and to put forth a great effort, but overall, I think this game will come down to skill and execution.
•The rushing attack is one of the best in the SEC. What will be the Rebels gameplan to stop it?
Dylan- Trying to contain the LSU ground game is a tall task. The Tigers rushed for over 300 yards in their 41-3 win over Kentucky. Freshman phenom Leonard Fournette leads the Tigers in rushing with 544 yards. He’s not the only running back on the roster that can cause problems- seniors Kenny Hilliard and Terrance Magee both have rushed for over 300 yards so far this season. The Rebel front seven have to deal with three backs that can all breakout for big games. Look for the unit to stack the line and fill up any running lanes possible to force the LSU offense to beat them passing the ball.
Cody- Earlier in the year, I would have expected LSU to run all over Ole Miss’s defense. The Rebel defense struggled to contain Boise State, Vanderbilt and ULL, but it appears all of the Rebels’ problems in run defense have been fixed. They successfully shut down Memphis, Texas A&M and held Tennessee to zero yards rushing. Although Alabama was able to gain 168 yards in their game, they only had a 3.8-yard per carry average. If Ole Miss can stop an Alabama rushing attack that features T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry from beating them, they should be able to do the same against LSU. With the talent LSU has, it could have one of the best days running the football against Ole Miss all year, but with the improvement of the Rebel defense, that might not be enough.
•The Ole Miss offense has looked conservative the past three weeks. With LSU working a ball control offense, can you see the offense being more aggressive?
Dylan- I expect an aggressive game plan from Hugh Freeze and the offense this week. LSU thrives on offense when they hold the ball by running the ball between the tackles and catching defenses off guard by throwing the play-action pass. If the LSU defense can hold the Rebel offense in their own territory, the game plan will completely change to where the offense has to break out of its shell and not let the defense control the tempo. If there is any game where this could happen, it’s against LSU. The defense will dictate the game, but I could definitely see the offense being more aggressive.
Cody- I think how Ole Miss plays on defense will determine what the Rebels try to do on offense. If the defense is stopping LSU from scoring, I see no reason for the Rebels to do anything different than what they’ve done all season. However, if the Tigers have some success offensively and score early, I think Ole Miss could see a return to the up-tempo offense they’ve run in years past. If LSU can find a way to get past this Rebel defense, then I expect the offense to take some risks they wouldn’t normally and to take a few more shots downfield.
