LSU closes up its season this weekend with one more big test for the defense. Ole Miss has had one of the SEC’s top offenses this season. With the kind of season Ole Miss has been having with the football, LSU’s defense will once again be faced with plenty of concerns this week.
Ole Miss and the SEC’s top offense
Stop us if you have heard this before, but LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and the Tigers defense has a tough matchup on its hands this week. After playing Alabama and Florida in back-to-back games, LSU now faces the Ole Miss offense molded by head coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels come into the game with the top-ranked offense in the SEC with an average of 563.0 yards per game. The pace will be quick too.
Ole Miss leads the SEC in rushing yards per game (206.5) and has the conference’s second-best passing offense with 356.5 yards per game. This is a team that scored 35 points on Florida in the season opener and 48 points against Alabama a few weeks later. Ole Miss has the offense, but the defense is where LSU needs to generate some of its own success.
Ole Miss QB Matt Corrall among the SEC’s best
Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is the one running the offense and putting up big numbers in the process. In a conference that is highlighted by Heisman Trophy campaigns for Alabama quarterback Mac Jones and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, the Rebels’ quarterback is nestled quite nicely among the two in the SEC passing stats. Corral is second in the SEC in passing yards per game (343.0) with 24 touchdowns (with nine interceptions). Corral has a completion percentage of 72.9 coming into this week’s game and he is on pace for a 3,000-yard season. He could very well pass the 3,000-yard mark for the season this weekend (2,744 yards in eight games coming into the week).
Stopping the bleeding in the red zone
FOr all the scorn LSU’s defense has taken this season, one area they have performed admirably is inside the red zone. Opponents have a red zone touchdown percentage of 55.26 percent this season, which is the third-lowest among SEC schools (only Alabama and Mississippi State have a better number). For all the offense Ole Miss has thrived on this season, the success in the red zone on offense has room for improvement. The Rebels have scored 33 touchdowns on 51 red zone trips, a red zone touchdown percentage of 64.71 percent (eighth-best in the SEC).
Odds are good Ole Miss will have a handful of trips inside the red zone. If LSU can limit Ole Miss to more field goals than touchdowns, that would be a major step toward a possible win.
Keeping the Ole Miss special teams tied down
If there is an area where LSU can create an advantage, it absolutely must be with special teams. Simply put, Ole Miss is not a threat on special teams returns. The Rebels have had just one kickoff return of at least 30 yards this season and zero punt returns traveling at least 20 yards. Ole Miss has just three punt returns for nine yards this season. Considering Zach Von Rosenberg is among the SEC’s top punters, LSU may have some opportunities to punt to win.
Containing explosive plays
Perhaps the reason Ole Miss isn’t concerned about getting big returns on special teams is that they can gain big yards on offense at will. Ole Miss has an explosive offense with the third-most plays of 10+, 20+, and 30+ yards among SEC schools. The only schools with more have been Alabama and Florida, and they have had the benefit of playing two extra games compared to the Rebels so far.