Previewing LSU's Week 7 Opponent the Ole Miss Rebels
When the LSU Tigers faced off against the Ole Miss Rebels last season it was one of the best games of the season. The Rebels won the game 55-49 as neither defense could get a stop, with Ole Miss racking up 706 yards to LSU's 637 yards. These teams are vastly different than they were last season but, they're trending the same way.
Ole Miss still has an incredibly explosive offense as Jaxson Dart is still at quarterback with a ton of the same explosive weapons in the receiving core.
Jaxson Dart ranks second in the country with 2,100 yards passing, 7th in completion percentage, and boasts a 13 to 2 touchdown to interceptions ratio. This season, Jaxson Dart has looked impressive ad its going to be hard to throw him off his game as he's one of the most experienced quarterbacks Lane Kiffin has ever had.
While Quinshon Judkins transferred to Ohio State the Rebels are still incredible running the football. The new lead back is Henry Parrish Jr who transferred in from Miami as he averaged 6.3 yards per carry rushing for 570 yards and 9 touchdowns. Jaxson Dart can use his legs as well as he has 156 yards and three touchdowns.
The receiving core at Ole Miss has only gotten more explosive since last years matchup. The two leading receivers in last year's game, Jordan Watkins and Tre Harris returned and have combined for 1,096 yards and 7 touchdowns. The new threat to watch is Juice Wells who transferred in from South Carolina and could beat any team deep. At tight end, Caden Prieskorn has been an incredibly reliable receiver for Jaxson Dart while being an effective blocker.
Up front, the Ole Miss Rebels have three new starters via the transfer portal which could be an area LSU's defensive line exposes.
On the other side of the football, Lane Kiffin's transfer portal rebuild has been incredible on the defensive line. Returning defensive lineman Jared Ivey leads the team with 5 sacks coming off of the edge and will be a player Will Campbell or Emery Jones Jr needs to shut down. The other edge rusher Princely Umanmielen has 3.5 sacks but, he may not be able to go after missing the South Carolina game.
On the interior of that defensive line, Ole Miss finally has SEC Caliber players as well. Walter Nolen transferred in from Ole Miss and while the stats don't fully reflect it as he has 2.5 sacks, he's a game wrecker. Nose Tackle JJ Pegues is a massive presence on the inside and could give DJ Chester issues.
The linebacker core for the Rebels is solid once again as Lane Kiffin's transfers have panned out thus far.
The area where we haven't seen the Rebels tested too often is in the secondary as Ole Miss brought in a ton of transfers. At cornerback, Kiffin brought in two new starters in Trey Amos from Alabama and Isaiah Hamilton from Houston. Both players have a ton of experience but, not at the SEC level which could be an issue on Saturday Night. At safety, Trey Washington is a player to keep an eye on as he's proved he can be a ballhawk.
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Note: Stats via ESPN