It may not have the same level of anticipation as the days of Billy Cannon’s Halloween Night Run or the implications of the 1960 Sugar Bowl.
But Saturday’s matchup is still LSU against Ole Miss, and according to LSU players and coach Les Miles, that means something.
Forty years after LSU stole a 17-16 victory from Ole Miss on the Night the Clock Stopped, the rivalry lives on.
In its last home game of the season, No. 8 LSU (8-2) will go toe-to-toe with an improved Rebel team looking to secure its first bowl-eligible season since 2009.
Ole Miss (5-5) has wallowed in the depths of the Southeastern Conference in recent years, while LSU has experienced one of the most successful stretches in its history, removing some of the glow surrounding the rivals’ recent battles.
But with new coach Hugh Freeze, new quarterback Bo Wallace and a new style of offense, Ole Miss has reinvented itself in the 2012 season and is climbing out of the SEC cellar.
With two games left to play this season, Ole Miss has already accumulated 800 more total yards and 102 more points than it did throughout the entire 2011 season.
“I think they have a nice scheme,” Miles said. “I think they’re using their talent well, they’ve established who their quarterback is and they’re doing the things that make his skills more productive for them.”
The Rebels’ new offensive scheme relies on a more fast-paced, pass-heavy attack similar to what the Tigers faced against Texas A&M earlier this season.
Ole Miss’ newfound offensive success is led by Wallace, who has revamped the Rebels’ passing offense, surpassing their 1,820 passing yards in 2011 by more than 650 yards.
LSU junior defensive end Sam Montgomery said the way to beat a fast-paced offense is not to shy away from its speed but to match it.
“You have to play their game and beat them at their game,” Montgomery said. “When we beat them at their game, they’ll slow down.”
Montgomery said there is perhaps no team better at defending that style of offense than LSU because of the Tigers’ defensive speed.
After a blowout 52-3 win by LSU in last season’s matchup, Ole Miss will need its new offense to score if Saturday’s game is going to be competitive.
Senior offensive lineman Josh Dworaczyk said both teams are different than the ones that took the field at Ole Miss last season.
As a sixth-year senior, Dworaczyk has been around long enough to remember the rivalry’s better days, and he said he expects the game to return to the hard-fought battles LSU vs. Ole Miss games used to provide.
Dworaczyk said he remembers attending the Tigers’ 23-20 overtime victory in 2006 on a recruiting trip, and the game played a major role in securing his decision to attend LSU.
Many of Dworaczyk’s younger teammates have never experienced a competitive game against Ole Miss, but he said he expects Ole Miss will give LSU players all they can handle Saturday.
“It’s going to be a whole different ball game this year, and [the young players] will get a real taste of what it’s like to play against Ole Miss, especially when they come here,” Dworaczyk said. “They always play hard when they come here, and the emotions are always high.”
Emotions for many Tigers will be running high for a reason other than the rivalry being played out on the field. Saturday will be the departing seniors’ last game in Tiger Stadium, and junior safety Eric Reid said everyone on the team will have added motivation to perform well for their teammates.
“After sending our seniors off last year with a loss, you feel for those guys and you know how emotional it is,” Reid said. “This is their last game in Tiger Stadium, so you want to play hard for them and end their career on a high note.”
