What the media is saying about the showdown between LSU and Ole Miss

Saturday’s LSU-Ole Miss game features two of the most perplexing teams in the SEC West. Two weeks ago, LSU was 7-0 and No. 2 in the initial College Football Playoff Rankings before losing to the Crimson Tide and then getting hammered by Arkansas last week.

The high point of Ole Miss’ season was its 43-37 victory over Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 19. Since then, the Rebels have gone just 4-3, but they’re still alive in the SEC West. All they have to do to win the title is beat LSU and then Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl while hoping that Alabama loses in the Iron Bowl.

Wishful thinking? Maybe. At the very least, this game pits the SEC’s top rushing offense — led by Leonard Fournette — against its top passing offense — led by Chad Kelly.

Here is what a few media outlets are saying about the biggest SEC contest of the week:

1. There are “strong indications” that LSU’s Les Miles is coaching for his job vs. Ole Miss and Texas A&M, so says Scott Rabalais of theadvocate.com, who reveals in this article that he has covered the Tigers for 25 years and has cultivated “a variety of knowledgeable sources.” He also points out that Miles would finish 13-11 in the SEC over the last three years if LSU loses its last two regular-season games, so this is obviously a situation that bears watching.
2. The Rebels are preparing for the return of Coach O. That’s according to djournal.com, which reminds us that Ed Orgeron, who is currently LSU’s defensive line coach, went 10-25 as Ole Miss’ head coach from 2005-07.
3. Ole Miss has “a lot on the line” against LSU. So says the Clarion Ledger, but the Tigers have a lot on the line as well, including another 10-win season along with Fournette’s sputtering Heisman campaign.
4. The Rebels have a “red” print to beat LSU, writes Glenn Guilbeau of shreveporttimes.com in an article in which he says Ole Miss might use the game plans Alabama and Arkansas employed to beat LSU over the last two weeks.
5. LSU defenders resolve to clean up big-play busts after Arkansas loss. ESPN.com emphasized that the Tigers surrendered 3 TDs that went for 52 yards or more in last week’s loss to Arkansas. LSU is fully aware that Kelly and his teammates have big-play capabilities, too.

Stan Chrapowicki

Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.