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The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 25 Ole Miss Travels To LSU
10/25/1999 | Football
Oct. 25, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. - After a week off, the Ole Miss Rebels hit the road for a Southeastern Conference face-off with LSU. Kickoff at Tiger Stadium is set for 7 p.m. (CST).
Prior to their open week, the 25th-ranked Rebels (5-2, 2-2 SEC) lost a 30-24 home game to Alabama. Ole Miss now looks to rebound against LSU, and post its second straight 6-2 start. Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe, who is in his first full season with the Rebels, said his squad is getting healthier and is anxious to return to action.
"It's always good to get back to game week after an open date," Cutcliffe said. "The open week came at a good time. We had a chance to get some people feeling better after seven straight weeks. There are a lot of positive things that come with an open date, and now we've got to get back in the swing of things. We're playing a good LSU team on the road, so we're going to have to be at our best and be very focused."
LSU (2-5, 0-5 SEC) is riding a five-game losing streak, after dropping a 17-16 loss to No. 11 Mississippi State Saturday in Starkville. The Tigers are returning to Death Valley for the first time in three weeks to try and notch their first SEC win of the year and break a two-game losing steak to the rival Rebels.
"It's a great challenge playing on the road in the SEC," Cutcliffe said. "I think our team has some good experience, and I think we understand you have to maintain your focus.
"Tiger Stadium is a unique place for football. It's as loud as any place in the country, and their fans are as enthusiastic as anybody."
On offense, senior tailback Rondell Mealey is leading the LSU attack with 484 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Josh Booty has completed 101-of-219 passes for 1,142 yards, three TDs and 12 interceptions. The Tiger offensive line, like much of the team, has been decimated by injuries. As a whole, 13 starters and key reserves were out against MSU, many of whom have been missing since the start of the season.
"I think part of their problem is like a lot of us, they have had some injuries," Cutcliffe said. "They had some players get hurt on the offensive line and that makes it tough to be consistent. Rondell Mealey is a talented young man. He ran the ball well last week. They are getting better.
"They are very consistent on defense and have played well all year. It's going to be a great challenge for our team."
Ole Miss' Romaro Miller will be shooting for his sixth 200-yard passing game of the season. Against Alabama, the junior quarterback passed for 217 yards to set a new school record for career 200-yard passing games with 12. Miller has passed for 1400 yards this season with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions and ranks second in the SEC in completion percentage and third in passing efficiency.
Saturday's meeting will be the 88th between Ole Miss and LSU in a series that dates back to 1894. It is the Rebels' second-most played series behind Mississippi State. LSU holds a 48-35- 2 advantage with a 34-22 edge in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss won 36-21 over the then-No. 8 Tigers in 1997 in Baton Rouge and defeated LSU 37-31 in overtime last year in Oxford.
