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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: No. 3 Ole Miss at No. 23 LSU
10/25/2014 | Football
Oct. 25, 2014
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TV Network: ESPN | Ole Miss Radio Network: (Sirius 85, XM 85)Wednesday Blog: Freeze, Miles Talk Ole Miss-LSU RivalryThursday Blog: Extra Emphasis on Special Teams PlaySaturday Blog: Three and Out: Keys to Ole Miss-LSUBATON ROUGE, La. - Ole Miss and LSU meet as ranked teams today (6:15 p.m. CT, ESPN) for the first since 2003, one of the many memorable games in the long-time rivalry.
Since the two teams started playing for the Magnolia Bowl trophy in 2008, the series is tied 3-3, including 1-1 since Hugh Freeze took over as Ole Miss head coach.
"It's always an exciting time around this place when you enter into a game that is considered to be one of your historical rivals like LSU," Freeze said. "They've been extremely talented through the years. Coach (Les) Miles has done a phenomenal job there. Even though they've had some ebbs and flows this season, they seem to be figuring them out quite nicely, and they're playing their best football of the year."
The Rebels (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) have come a long way on their journey since their last visit to Tiger Stadium in 2012, as they enter the latest iteration of the rivalry ranked third in the nation, one of four remaining undefeated teams.
Needing a win in one of its last two games to become bowl eligible, Ole Miss lost an offensive slugfest, 41-35, but it went a long way to help the program along its journey.
"We were super competitive and right there in it," Freeze said. "Had it not been for a punt return, who knows what the outcome would have been? I had a blast. It was, at that point, a moral victory."
"I remember the atmosphere," said senior quarterback Bo Wallace, who threw for 310 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in the game. "We were playing really well. We were young and really didn't realize what we were doing. We were out there just playing as hard as we could. It's fun to play down there. I'm looking forward to it."
A year later, Ole Miss topped LSU 27-24 on a field goal in the waning seconds, the program's first win over a top-10 ranked opponent since 2009. This year, it's not about moral victories or upsetting a top-10 team.
"We don't talk about going to play anybody close right now," Freeze said. "We want to get a plan together and prepare like we're going to win. Hopefully we have a chance in the fourth quarter to do so."
Ole Miss leads the nation in scoring defense (10.6) and has given up a nation-low seven touchdowns. The Rebels have allowed 20 or fewer points in nine straight games, the longest active streak in the nation by six games, and have forced at least one turnover in 30 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the country.
"I like the way they've come together with unity and you put that together with some experience and they have pride in what they do," defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said about his unit. "We make very few mistakes and continue to get better each week."
The defense has also helped Wallace, who ranks second in the SEC in passing offense (271.3 ypg) and third in the SEC in total offense (288.7 ypg). More importantly, he has not turned the ball over in SEC play.
"The big thing for me is I'm not trying to mess it up," Wallace said. "I'm going in and trying to not have any turnovers. The defense is playing well. If we punt it past the 50-yard line, they're probably not going to get points. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable."
LSU (6-2, 2-2 SEC), ranked No. 23 in the nation, is coming off back-to-back wins over Florida (30-27) and Kentucky (41-3). The Tigers are led by the nation's eighth-best scoring defense (17.0 ppg) and the league's sixth-best rushing offense (220.9 ypg).
"The last two weeks, they've gotten back to doing their bread and butter," Freeze said. "That's physical, control of the clock. They're able to run the football with the outstanding backs that they have. Defensively, they're changing some things around that you haven't seen them do a lot of before. They've become very multiple the last two weeks, particularly last week."
It's another moment in the limelight for the Ole Miss football program, from the second visit of ESPN's "College GameDay," to the mystique of a Saturday night game in Tiger Stadium.
"It's going to be a fun environment," said junior cornerback Mike Hilton, who will make his second visit to Tiger Stadium. "The stadium's going to be rocking. They're coming after us this year after what happened last year. It's another big SEC matchup. It's going to be a fun one."
This game marks the 103rd all-time meeting between Ole Miss and LSU dating back to 1894. The Tigers lead 58-40-4 in the series, 38-24-1 in Baton Rouge. The Rebels' 24 wins in Death Valley are the second-most of any team.
TV Network: ESPN | Ole Miss Radio Network: (Sirius 85, XM 85)Wednesday Blog: Freeze, Miles Talk Ole Miss-LSU RivalryThursday Blog: Extra Emphasis on Special Teams PlaySaturday Blog: Three and Out: Keys to Ole Miss-LSUBATON ROUGE, La. - Ole Miss and LSU meet as ranked teams today (6:15 p.m. CT, ESPN) for the first since 2003, one of the many memorable games in the long-time rivalry.
Since the two teams started playing for the Magnolia Bowl trophy in 2008, the series is tied 3-3, including 1-1 since Hugh Freeze took over as Ole Miss head coach.
"It's always an exciting time around this place when you enter into a game that is considered to be one of your historical rivals like LSU," Freeze said. "They've been extremely talented through the years. Coach (Les) Miles has done a phenomenal job there. Even though they've had some ebbs and flows this season, they seem to be figuring them out quite nicely, and they're playing their best football of the year."
The Rebels (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) have come a long way on their journey since their last visit to Tiger Stadium in 2012, as they enter the latest iteration of the rivalry ranked third in the nation, one of four remaining undefeated teams.
Needing a win in one of its last two games to become bowl eligible, Ole Miss lost an offensive slugfest, 41-35, but it went a long way to help the program along its journey.
"We were super competitive and right there in it," Freeze said. "Had it not been for a punt return, who knows what the outcome would have been? I had a blast. It was, at that point, a moral victory."
"I remember the atmosphere," said senior quarterback Bo Wallace, who threw for 310 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in the game. "We were playing really well. We were young and really didn't realize what we were doing. We were out there just playing as hard as we could. It's fun to play down there. I'm looking forward to it."
A year later, Ole Miss topped LSU 27-24 on a field goal in the waning seconds, the program's first win over a top-10 ranked opponent since 2009. This year, it's not about moral victories or upsetting a top-10 team.
"We don't talk about going to play anybody close right now," Freeze said. "We want to get a plan together and prepare like we're going to win. Hopefully we have a chance in the fourth quarter to do so."
Ole Miss leads the nation in scoring defense (10.6) and has given up a nation-low seven touchdowns. The Rebels have allowed 20 or fewer points in nine straight games, the longest active streak in the nation by six games, and have forced at least one turnover in 30 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the country.
"I like the way they've come together with unity and you put that together with some experience and they have pride in what they do," defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said about his unit. "We make very few mistakes and continue to get better each week."
The defense has also helped Wallace, who ranks second in the SEC in passing offense (271.3 ypg) and third in the SEC in total offense (288.7 ypg). More importantly, he has not turned the ball over in SEC play.
"The big thing for me is I'm not trying to mess it up," Wallace said. "I'm going in and trying to not have any turnovers. The defense is playing well. If we punt it past the 50-yard line, they're probably not going to get points. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable."
LSU (6-2, 2-2 SEC), ranked No. 23 in the nation, is coming off back-to-back wins over Florida (30-27) and Kentucky (41-3). The Tigers are led by the nation's eighth-best scoring defense (17.0 ppg) and the league's sixth-best rushing offense (220.9 ypg).
"The last two weeks, they've gotten back to doing their bread and butter," Freeze said. "That's physical, control of the clock. They're able to run the football with the outstanding backs that they have. Defensively, they're changing some things around that you haven't seen them do a lot of before. They've become very multiple the last two weeks, particularly last week."
It's another moment in the limelight for the Ole Miss football program, from the second visit of ESPN's "College GameDay," to the mystique of a Saturday night game in Tiger Stadium.
"It's going to be a fun environment," said junior cornerback Mike Hilton, who will make his second visit to Tiger Stadium. "The stadium's going to be rocking. They're coming after us this year after what happened last year. It's another big SEC matchup. It's going to be a fun one."
This game marks the 103rd all-time meeting between Ole Miss and LSU dating back to 1894. The Tigers lead 58-40-4 in the series, 38-24-1 in Baton Rouge. The Rebels' 24 wins in Death Valley are the second-most of any team.
Players Mentioned
DB
/ FootballPRESSER | Sharif Denson (04-22-26)
Wednesday, April 22
PRESSER | Horatio Fields (04-22-26)
Wednesday, April 22
PRESSER | Pete Golding (04-21-26)
Tuesday, April 21
PRESSER | Johntay Cook II (04-21-26)
Tuesday, April 21