Saturday night in Oxford brings a top-10 matchup with plenty of edge to it, as No. 8 Ole Miss hosts No.
7 LSU in what could wind up being one of the biggest games in this rivalry. Conference play is here, the stakes are high, and the buildup has been loud for months.
A lot of that noise traces back to Lane Kiffin’s sudden departure, which left a rift that hasn’t gone away. Ole Miss fans are expected to make their feelings known, and Kiffin’s return to Oxford will be anything but quiet.
But once the emotion settles, the game itself should come down to a few clear pressure points.
The run game is front and center, and both teams have a back who can tilt things. LSU leans on Dilin Jones, a true workhorse who has already piled up 167 yards after contact and forced 13 missed tackles in two games.
He is tough to bring down, and the Tigers’ identity starts with running the football. Ole Miss has to slow that down.
The Rebels have their own answer in Kewan Lacy, who looks fully healthy after dealing with a thigh injury in the season opener. Ole Miss wants to establish the run early and keep leaning on its star back. If either defense can create third-and-long situations, that side will have a major edge.
Quarterback play could be just as decisive. Trinidad Chambliss has to be sharp and careful with the ball, because LSU will punish extra possessions.
On the other side, Sam Leavitt has already thrown four interceptions this season. If Ole Miss can generate a couple of extra offensive drives for Chambliss, that could swing the night.
The outside distractions are impossible to ignore, but one team will handle them better than the other. Kiffin’s unwelcome return will stir up chaos, yet the Rebels cannot let that become the story on the field. Ole Miss has to play football and block everything else out.
Up front, both defenses bring serious punch. For Ole Miss, Kam Franklin is expected to spend time one-on-one with left tackle Jordan Seaton, a matchup that won’t be easy to win consistently. That means someone else may need to step in for the Rebels.
There’s also the matter of Princewill Umanmielen, who returns to Oxford after a scorching start with LSU. The former Rebel has five sacks through two games, and if Terez Davis or Tommy Kinsler can’t keep him contained, Ole Miss could be in for a long night offensively.
Special teams may end up mattering too. Lucas Carneiro already has one game-winning field goal this season, and Ole Miss may need him again if the game turns tight. The Rebels have to convert every scoring chance that comes their way.
Field position is another piece of the puzzle, and Pete Golding wanted his team to put together a complete effort in all three phases last week. He’ll want the same thing again Saturday.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Fan Just Gave The Grove A Viral GameDay Moment
The Grove already had its usual Saturday buzz when ESPNs College GameDay stopped in Oxford, but Ole Miss freshman James Whitehead turned the backdrop into the days biggest side story. Whitehead stepped into Pat McAfees weekly kicking contest and drilled a 33-yard field goal, a swing that instantly changed the mood in front of the Ole Miss crowd and sent the broadcast scrambling to keep up.
The moment only got bigger from there, especially when McAfee initially wrote the prize as $100 million on a novelty check before correcting himself on the air. Whitehead came away with the actual $1 million prize, and he said he plans to split it with a friend who submitted the winning entry, a tidy finish to one of those rare campus scenes that feels made for replay clips and Saturday folklore alike. [Read more 🡒]
GameDays Ole Miss Split Just Added More Heat To LSU Showdown
College GameDay turned Oxford into a focal point ahead of Ole Miss-LSU, with the crew on hand live from town and Morgan Freeman joining in on the fun by making winner predictions for several Week 3 college football matchups. The buildup fit the stage, too, with the Rebels and Tigers set for one of the weekends most-watched games and the atmosphere around it only getting louder.
The panels view of the matchup was split, which only sharpened the edge on a game that already had plenty of attention. Most of the crew leaned Ole Miss, while Nick Saban went the other way and Kirk Herbstreit stayed out of the pick entirely because he is on the call for the game, leaving the pregame conversation with just enough disagreement to keep the spotlight fixed on Oxford. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffins Family Is Forcing Ole Miss Fans To Confront Something Ugly
As Ole Miss gets ready for a marquee showdown with LSU on Saturday night, the noise around Lane Kiffin has spilled well beyond the usual game-week chatter. His family has been caught in the middle of it, with inappropriate jokes and offensive behavior aimed at people who should have no part in the football noise at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Layla Kiffin posted a message on social media asking for kindness, and Landry Kiffin spoke publicly about the hurt caused by banners and comments that crossed a line. It is the kind of ugly sideshow that tends to surface around big games, and it puts a different kind of pressure on a night that was already set to draw plenty of attention on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET. [Read more 🡒]