On the Saturday afternoon, the LSU Tigers will travel to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to take on the 12th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels in an SEC matchup. The Tigers are 4-3 (2-2) and are coming off a 49-42 home win over the 20th-ranked Florida Gators. Sophomore quarterback Max Johnson had a great game as he went 14-of-24 for 133 yards and three touchdowns. The Rebels are 5-1 (2-1) so far this year and are coming off a 31-26 road win against the Tennessee Volunteers. Junior quarterback Matt Corral had a good game as he went 21-of-38 for 231 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception.
Getting Some Carries
The LSU Tigers run the ball effectively, and having junior running back Tyrion Davis-Prince in the backfield has been great for them. So far this season, he has 103 carries for 574 yards (5.6 yards per rush) and five touchdowns while also having a pair of catches for 35 yards (11.7 yards per reception). In his last game against the Florida Gators, Davis-Prince finished with 36 attempts for 287 yards (8.0 yards per rush) with three touchdowns. If he continues being involved in the game plan, it will help LSU do well offensively.
The LSU Tigers have been a bit shaky on the defensive side of the field this season as they are allowing 28.4 points per game. In their last game against the Florida Gators, they gave up 42 points on 488 total yards of offense (350 passing, 138 rushings). They need to sure up on third and fourth downs as they allowed Florida to go 7-of-14 on third down and converted on their only fourth-down attempt. The Tigers’ defense forced four total interceptions in this game, so they are great defending the pass. If the Tigers can continue being a threat defending the pass, it will be hard for the opposing offenses to be competitive.
Seniority Matters
The Ole Miss Rebels love to pass the football this season, and it helps to have someone like senior wide receiver Dontario Drummond on the receiving end helps. This season, he has 28 receptions for 526 yards (18.8 yards per catch) and six touchdowns while also having a pair of rushes for 16 yards (8.0 yards per carrying) with a rushing touchdown. In his last game against the Tennessee Volunteers, Drummond finished with a pair of catches for 66 yards (33 yards per reception) with a touchdown. If he can figure out how to be more involved in the game plan, it will help Ole Miss move the ball down the field.
The Ole Miss Rebels have been a bit shaky on the defensive side of the field this season as they are averaging 30.2 points per game allowed. In their last game against the Tennessee Volunteers, they gave up 31 points on 510 total yards of offense (231 passing, 279 rushings). They need to sure up on third and fourth downs as they allowed Tennessee to go 9-of-17 on third down and did not convert on their only fourth-down attempt. Ole Miss needs to get stops in general as they allowed 8.4 passing yards per attempt and 4.4 yards per rushing attempt. If the Rebels can continue their improvement on defense from last week, it will help their chances to win.
Who to Bet
The surrounding noise around the LSU Tigers will cause issues for the program, and I do not like their chances here. Ole Miss is one of the better programs in the nation and is scoring 43.7 points per game. All in all, go with the Rebels to continue dominating offensively and cover the spread at home.
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