Can Ole Miss Continue Its Four-Game SEC Winning Streak vs. LSU?

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

The Ole Miss Rebels will travel down I-55 to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers in Death Valley on Saturday. Kickoff is for 2:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.

Ole Miss (4-4) returns to the gridiron for the first time since its Egg Bowl win over Mississippi State. The Rebels had their last regular-season game with Texas A&M canceled due to issues related to COVID-19.

Coach Lane Kiffin has the Rebels looking to win their fourth straight game this weekend. The team is on a three-game SEC winning streak for the first time since 2014.

It may be a difficult game for the Rebels now that Ole Miss will be without wide receiver Elijah Moore and tight end Kenny Yeboah. Both players have elected to forgo the remaining games of their college football careers in order to begin preparation for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Sophomore signal-caller Matt Corral ranks No. 3 in FBS in passing yards per game (343.0), No. 8 in passing TDs (24), No. 2 in total offense per game (381.9) and No. 7 in passing efficiency (187.3).

The Rebels running game will be led by sophomore Jerrion Ealy. With nine on record for the season, Ealy ranks fifth-most for touchdowns in the SEC and No. 22 in the FBS.

LSU is 4-5 overall and is coming off a 37-34 road upset over No. 6 Florida. The Tigers are averaging 416 yards of total offense per game, with 299 through the air and 117 yards coming on the ground.

LSU has started two separate true freshmen in its last six games. Max Johnson started for the Tigers in Gainesville and completed 21 out of 36 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson also rushed 18 times for 52 yards. The Tigers’ top receiver, Terrace Marshall Jr., opted out of the season in November after tallying 731 receiving yards and 10 TDs throughout seven games. 

True freshman Kayshon Boutte has stepped up in Marshall’s absence and has tallied 100 receiving yards in back-to-back games.

Tyrion Davis-Price is the leading rusher for the Tigers. He’s rushed 104 times for 446 yards and three touchdowns on the season. 

Defensively, the Tigers are allowing just 485 yards per game, giving up 331 through the air and 154 rushing yards per game. Cornerback Eli Ricks ranks No. 5 in the FBS with four interceptions on the season.  

This will be the 109th all-time meeting between Ole Miss and LSU. The Tigers are the Rebel’s second-most played opponent behind Mississippi State. LSU holds a 63-40-4 advantage in the series, including a 41-24-1 mark in Baton Rouge.

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