When Ole Miss (3-3, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) battles No. 6 LSU (6-1, 3-1 SEC), it will be looking to solve a dilemma that has plagued the squad over the past three weeks.
The Rebels have had a roller coaster 2013 campaign thus far, as they dropped their last three contests to Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M after starting the season 3-0.
It hasn’t been the Rebel offense that has been the problem in
Oxford, Miss., as the squad has posted more than 30 points in four of its six games.
Even the Ole Miss pass defense has been efficient this season, ranking fifth in the conference.
Where the Rebels are having trouble, and what is ultimately becoming the squad’s downfall in the SEC, is their complete lack of ability to stop the run, and conference rivals are taking note.
Against SEC opponents this season, the Rebels are ranked No. 12 in the conference, allowing a whopping 225.8 yards per game on the ground and a SEC-leading
13 touchdowns.
Throughout its six total games, Ole Miss has been letting opponents stomp over them, surrendering 186.7 yards per game. Squads are rushing 40.5 times per contest against the Rebels — second most in the SEC.
LSU’s offensive line will look to win the battle in the trenches early and often to help set up a potent rushing attack.
“It’s always a priority for us at LSU,” said sophomore left guard Vadal Alexander. “We always have to win up front and dominate our opponent, and execute our techniques and execute our assignments to get our running game going. That’s a big part of any offense, especially ours.”
A season ago, the LSU run game plagued the Rebels when it traveled to Tiger Stadium in November.
In last year’s contest, Ole Miss rode the back of then-sophomore quarterback Bo Wallace and led the favored LSU squad 28-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
The young Wallace put on an offensive fireworks display, torching the Tigers’ defense for four touchdowns and 364 yards of
total offense.
With quarterback Zach Mettenberger struggling to find a rhythm in the third quarter, including throwing two interceptions on consecutive pass attempts, the Tigers turned to a youthful weapon of their own — freshman running back Jeremy Hill.
Hill scored two of his three touchdowns in the final quarter of regulation, including the dagger with 15 seconds remaining in the game, to send the Rebels home with shattered dreams of an upset.
It’s safe to say fans could expect much of the same from LSU’s now-sophomore running back when the team travels to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
Even with the poor run defense statistics, Hill said he won’t be taking the Rebels lightly. Hill, who has rushed for 137 yards per game against conference opponents, will look to set the tone early on the road.
“From what I’ve seen, they’re just as athletic as they’ve always been,” Hill said. “They had a great recruiting class, and they have a lot of young guys out there who are playing hungry and playing fast, and they play with a lot of intensity. They’ll be at home, so they’ll have the fans behind their backs. We’ll have our hands full with
those guys.”
Donte Moncrief
-Wide receiver
-Junior
-6’3
-226 pounds
-358 receiving yards
Rebels Statistics:
PASSING:
Bo Wallace: 120-202, 1444 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT
Barry Brunetti: 7-18, 80 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
RUSHING:
Jeff Scott: 434 yards, 53 carries, 2 TD
I’Tavius Mathers: 137 yards, 22 carries, 1 TD
RECEIVING:
Donte Moncrief: 358 yards, 24 catches, 4 TD
Laquon Treadwell: 327 yards, 32 catches, 2 TD
TEAM STAT COMPARISON:
TOTAL AND SCORING OFFENSE
LSU: 290 points, 41.4 points per game
Miss: 174 points, 29 points per game
Rushing offense:
LSU: 277 yards, 194.1 yards per game, 22 TD
Miss: 229 yards, 175.5 YPG, 10 TD
Passing offense:
LSU: 1901 yards, 271.6 YPG, 15 TD
Miss: 1548 yards, 258 YPG, 11 TD
TOTAL AND SCORING DEFENSE
LSU: 154 points, 22 points per game
Miss: 167 points, 27.8 points per game
Rushing defense:
LSU: 1068 yards, 152.6 YPG, 9 TD
Miss: 1120 yards, 186.7 YPG, 14 TD
Pass defense:
LSU: 1374 yards, 196.3 YPG, 7 TD
Miss: 1274 yards, 212.3 YPG, 5 TD
“We always have to win up front and dominate our opponent and execute our techniques and execute our assignments to get our running game going. That’s a big part of any offense, especially ours.”