It makes perfect sense that two bitter in-state rivals would be so different from each other; Mississippi State was a pass-first team, but the University of Mississippi is the complete opposite.
The Rebels’ run game brings a type of offense that LSU hasn’t seen much of as of yet. They’ve seen their fair share of pass-first teams, like Mississippi State, but the Tigers haven’t seen a team that keeps the ball on the ground as much as Ole Miss.
The Rebels rank third in the country for rushing yards, running the ball for 271 yards per game. The backfield duo of true freshman, Quinshon Judkins, and junior, Zach Evans have led the charge all season. Judkins leads the team with 720 rushing yards on 121 carries, and Evans isn’t far behind with 605 rushing yards on 100 carries. The pair have combined for 17 touchdowns on the year, Judkins with 10 and Evans with seven.
In Ole Miss’ recent win against Auburn, the Rebels ran the ball 69 times. Judkins found the end zone twice, and Evans added another touchdown. Both Judkins and Evans ran for over 130 yards that day.
Ole Miss also has a quarterback who likes to run the ball. Not only has Jaxson Dart completed 61% of his passes for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he’s also run for 371 yards on 53 attempts.
It’s safe to say Ole Miss’ run game has been good enough to rank them seventh in the country, and their backfield has allowed them to get past everyone they’ve played. In their matchup against Kentucky, who was ranked seventh at the time, Judkins led the Rebels with 106 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
While Evans was limited that game to just 24 yards on nine carries, he was also still able to get in the end zone.
In the Rebels’ win against Georgia Tech, Evans led the team with 134 rushing yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. Judkins found the end zone twice as well on 19 carries for 98 yards.
For LSU to give Ole Miss its first loss of the season, the team will have to stop both of Ole Miss’ primary running backs, a task that no team has fully been able to do yet this year. While teams have been able to stop one of the two, no team has been able to control both.
Ole Miss also ranks third in the SEC for least points allowed per game at 17 points. Last week against Florida, the Tigers scored the second-highest amount of points they’ve had all season at 45 points. The key to that was the fast start the offense got off to, led by Jayden Daniels and Kayshon Boutte.
Boutte led the team in receiving yards last week with 115 yards on six catches, a season high for the receiver. The Daniels-Boutte connection has to keep the momentum going heading into the matchup against Ole Miss.
In general, Daniels has to keep his offensive surge going. The Arizona State transfer has passed for 300 yards or over in the past two games, and last week against Florida, he threw for three touchdowns and ran for three more.
Coinciding with Ole Miss’ efficient defense is the Rebels’ No. 2 rank for total sacks on the season. Defensive end Jared Ivey, leads the team with 3.5 sacks, and Tavius Robinson and Khari Coleman both add 2.5.
Stopping Ole Miss’ defense will come down to the offensive line giving Jayden Daniels enough time in the pocket to continue his dominance.
Controlling Ole Miss will be the common theme headed into Saturday’s matchup with LSU. The Rebels’ run game has taken control in every game they’ve played this season, and the defense has carried enough weight to win convincingly in most cases. If the Tigers can be successful in limiting Ole Miss in all aspects of the game, their destiny will lie in their own hands.
