College Football
After wins over Miami and Auburn, the road to the SEC championship continues through Baton Rouge as Ole Miss comes calling on LSU. The Rebels hope to mar the perfect 4-0 start of the Tigers and they have the offense but do they have the defense? The #5 ranked Tigers cruised to a 38-21 warm-up win last Saturday as Ole Miss was rebounding from their ‘Bama loss.
Which Ole Miss shows?
The Rebels opened the season with a rousing victory over Texas Tech. Scottie Phillips ran roughshod over the Red Raiders in his FBS debut. They crushed both Southern Illinois and Kent State as expected. In between those wins, they came up flat in Oxford against Alabama losing 62-7. Ole Miss would like nothing better then to come into Baton Rouge and prove all the naysayers wrong about this team.
Jordan Ta’Amu will have to bring his “A” game if Ole Miss is to win in Death Valley. Against ‘Bama he was just 7 of 22 for 133 yards with a touchdown and two picks. The touchdown came on the Rebels first possession. Phillips, whom it appears is beginning to become a threat in the passing game, could cause trouble for LSU. If head coach Matt Luke uses Phillips as a dual threat, the seams will open for the best receiving trio in the nation. D.K. Metcalf, DaMarkus Lodge and AJ Brown and could destroy the LSU defense if given the opportunity.
LSU Continues to do What’s Needed
The Tigers opened the season with a big win at a neutral site over the Miami Hurricanes. They then added wins over SE Louisiana and LA Tech sandwiched around the national prime time last second win over Auburn in Auburn. Many have said that those wins over lesser opponents were lackluster performances at best. Both games had double digit halftime leads and the decision was never in doubt.
Simply put, they must go back to the team that thoroughly dominated Miami from start to finish. LSU’s ground attack has to be relentless. Joe Burrow must be on point and not just in the fourth quarter. Greedy Williams and company cannot give up 330 yards through the air like they did against LA Tech because for Ole Miss that will be more like 450 yards.
The Final Whistle
Ole Miss’ defense must remember the Alabama game. Ta’Amu and company must do what they failed to do against Alabama. This is their moment to make amends against a top five opponent. If they do, this day will long be remembered in Rebels’ lore.
LSU (60-41-1 all-time) cannot afford to overlook Ole Miss. The Rebels are on a mission to prove that the Alabama debacle was just a one time thing. The Tigers must answer the bell from the opening kick. The defense must be stifling. The offense must control the gridiron, the tempo and the scoreboard.
When the clock strikes zero, the Rebels will march away having squandered an opportunity at redemption 42-38.
Photo credit to MJfest via Flickr
