Rece Davis isn’t sure LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt is walking into Saturday night’s Ole Miss showdown with clean enough answers.
With No. 7 LSU heading to No.
8 Ole Miss for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC, the matchup already has plenty of juice.
Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford will pull a massive audience, but Davis zeroed in on a different storyline during his Tuesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show: whether Leavitt can handle the pressure if the Rebels force him to win from the pocket.
Davis pointed back to Leavitt’s opening-week performance against Clemson, then contrasted it with what happened against Louisiana Tech in Week 2, when the quarterback threw three interceptions, including two in the red zone. He also noted that LSU turned the ball over four straight times in that game.
“Sam Leavitt, as great as he was opening weekend when we saw him at field level against Clemson, had some issues against Louisiana Tech (in Week 2). He threw 3 interceptions, 2 of them in the red zone.
… They turned the ball over 4 straight times,” Davis said. “We’ve seen how effective Sam Leavitt can be running, but can Ole Miss turn him into a passer and say you’re going to beat us time after time after time throwing the football, we’re going to make you make another play.
If (Ole Miss) can do this, I think this could be a big factor in the game, because Trinidad Chambliss, I think, even against that great LSU defense, is going to get his.
“So, is Sam Leavitt going to be able to stay away from the mistakes and beat them throwing? I think that’s a big deal. Those interceptions against Louisiana Tech raised a little bit of an eyebrow for this weekend for me.”
That’s the question hanging over LSU as it heads into one of the biggest games on its schedule: can Leavitt keep the mistakes out and deliver through the air if Ole Miss makes him prove it?
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Family Drama Just Added Another Twist To LSU Week
Landry Kiffin picked a familiar college-football backdrop for the launch of her new clothing brand, Fifth Year, rolling out the live sale during the LSU-Ole Miss game. The brand leans into activewear and gameday apparel, built around college colors and traditions, which makes the timing feel especially on-brand for a family that has spent plenty of time around both sidelines.
For LSU fans, the launch adds another layer to a week already shaped by the Kiffin familys connections to both programs. Landrys ties to LSU and Ole Miss give Fifth Year a built-in crossover appeal, and the coincidence of debuting it on game day only sharpened the spotlight around a matchup that was already going to draw attention well beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Suddenly Has A Huge Ole Miss Question At Quarterback
An already important trip to Ole Miss got more complicated for LSU when quarterback Sam Leavitt was listed as doubtful because of an undisclosed injury. Leavitts availability had been one of the biggest factors in how this matchup was being framed, and his status now hangs over everything LSU is trying to sort out before kickoff.
If Leavitt cannot go, Elon transfer Landen Clark is expected to step in and make the start, which would put a lot more on LSUs shoulders in a tough road environment. The betting line has already moved in Ole Misss favor since the news broke, a pretty clear sign of how much this quarterback situation has changed the outlook for the Tigers. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Ole Miss Rivalry Just Picked Up An Ugly Off Field Twist
The LSU-Ole Miss rivalry already has plenty of edge on the field, but now it has spilled into the courtroom in a way that reaches straight into the Tigers roster. Ole Miss has filed breach-of-contract lawsuits against former Rebels Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper after both transferred to LSU, putting a legal wrinkle on what is usually just another bitter SEC football matchup.
Umanmielen was served court papers tied to the lawsuit just before LSUs game against Ole Miss, and he now has to respond with discovery documents as the case moves forward. The suit seeks nearly $1 million in penalties and is aimed at sorting out revenue-sharing obligations between the schools, turning a familiar rivalry into something far messier than a Saturday in Oxford or Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]