Following the “historic” comeback by LSU against Troy – yes, it still was Troy – the Tigers are at a late-season crossroad. With Ole Miss coming to town this week and a trip to Arkansas set for the day after Thanksgiving, LSU has the opportunity to learn from the Troy game and finish strong, or settle back in their old ways and see the season slide into mediocrity.
Know this – Ole Miss is not a pushover. The Rebels could easily be 8-2; their four losses were by an average of 4.75 points; they played No. 1 Alabama to 24-20 in Tuscaloosa and – oh yeah – they beat No.4 Florida in The Swamp. Their win over the Gators is that much more impressive when you consider that no other SEC team has come within three touchdowns of beating Florida.
And last week Ole Miss took care of a patsy 59-0 while rolling up 520 yards of offense. How’d LSU do against its patsy last week?
So what do the Rebels bring to town? A pretty strong ground game (No. 30 nationally), a middle-of-the-road pass game (No. 68), a strong rush defense (No. 13) and a weak pass defense (No. 84). Sound familiar? Ole Miss is like Alabama on offense and Georgia on defense – though not as strong as either of those teams.
What LSU needs to do to beat Ole Miss is play like they’re down 28 with 20 minutes to play. Put yet more faith in Jarrett Lee to throw the ball enough to open up the run – lack of faith in Lee was the main reason LSU was held to three points against Troy mid-way through the third quarter. And defensively shut down the run, pressure the quarterback and make Ole Miss beat you through the air. Faith in your offense; faith in your defense – seems pretty obvious.
If Leslie & Co. play the Ole Miss game like they started out playing Troy, it’ll be yet another long afternoon in Tiger Stadium. I’m going to put faith in the coaching staff that they realize this and won’t let the Tigers dig themselves a hole, and I’ll put just enough faith in Lee to not give the game away.
LSU 31 – 30
Elsewhere in the SEC:
A very slim slate of games is “highlighted” by LSU / Ole Miss, and there’s not much more to get excited about.
Tennessee at Vandy: What the hell – I’ll go ‘Dores
Vandy 17 – 9
Arkansas at Mississippi State: Is there anything to like about this game? Cellar Dweller War!
Hogs 24 – 17
The Citadel at Florida: Oof.
Gators 116 – 8
