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...
LSU Fans Are Facing A Brutal Price To See This Ole Miss Showdown
The buzz around Saturdays LSU trip to Oxford has already spilled well beyond the field, and the price of admission makes that clear. With two top-10 teams meeting at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and ESPNs College GameDay in town, the market for Ole Miss showdown has been pushed into another tier, with the cheapest available seats on SeatGeek sitting around $467 with fees.
For LSU fans, the sting only gets worse from there, since secondary-market listings show a median ticket price of $862. Add in Lane Kiffins return to Ole Miss as LSUs head coach and it is easy to see why this one has the feel of a marquee event, even before a snap is taken at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fans Can't Ignore What Overshadowed This 2-0 Start
Ole Miss rolled to a 41-9 win over Charlotte and stretched its home winning streak to 13 straight, with Trinidad Chambliss, Deuce Knight and Kewan Lacy helping drive a performance that left the Rebels sitting at 2-0. Pete Golding had plenty to like about how his team handled business on the field, especially with the offense and defense both setting the tone in a routine-looking victory.
Still, the scene around the stadium carried a jarring distraction before kickoff, when a physical altercation broke out between two Ole Miss fans at a pregame tailgate and campus police had to step in. It was the kind of episode that cut against the celebratory feel of an early-season home game, and it ensured the afternoon would be remembered for more than just the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin's Return Just Made LSU's Ole Miss Trip Even Bigger
The buildup to LSUs trip to Oxford already had enough juice, with Lane Kiffin returning to face Ole Miss now on the other sideline as the Tigers head coach. The attention around the game has spilled well beyond the football field, too, as the Oxford Police Department is preparing for a heavier security presence than usual for one of the most charged matchups on the schedule.
Mounted patrol reinforcements are coming in from Mobile and New Orleans, an added layer of support for a weekend that has clearly drawn extra eyes from both states. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also said state officials have coordinated to make sure LSU is protected during the visit, a reminder that this one has become about more than just the scoreboard, even if the football stakes are still the main attraction. [Read more 🡒]