OXFORD – If the last six quarters or so are any indication, Ole Miss’ defense may have righted the ship after a somewhat rocky start. And it couldn’t have come at a better time given who comes to town this weekend.
Since halftime of No. 13 Ole Miss’ win over Arkansas, the Rebels (4-0, 2-0 SEC) have surrendered a total of 17 points. Against Tulane last weekend, Ole Miss held the Green Wave to a season-low 282 total yards. Tulane quarterbacks Jake Retzlaff and Brendan Sullivan went a combined 10 of 29 passing for 104 yards and, for the first time all season, the Green Wave did not score a rushing touchdown. Tulane’s lone touchdown came less than four minutes to play in what was a more than 40-point hole.
“From the D-line room … really just playing relentless, being on the same page,” sophomore defensive tackle Will Echoles said. “When we get our cleats in the ground, we (are) all set, I think we’re pretty damn good.”
Up next for Ole Miss is No. 4 LSU, who defeated the Rebels 29-26 in overtime last season in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in a game they didn’t trail in until the final play. LSU converted a pair of fourth downs on the game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter, and after Ole Miss hit a field goal on the first possession of overtime, Garrett Nussmeier threw the game-winning touchdown on LSU’s first play. Nussmeier is back for his final season and is completing just under 69% of his passes with 962 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.
Ole Miss and LSU will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and the game will be broadcast on ABC. The teams have split their last four meetings, with the home team emerging victorious each time. Ole Miss won the 2023 meeting in Oxford 55-49 in a game that featured eventual first-round quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart and more than 1,300 yards of combined offense. Tre Harris caught the go-ahead touchdown with just 39 seconds to play. The Tigers drove deep into Ole Miss territory on their final drive, but Daniels’ final pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
Saturday will be the 13th time the teams have met as ranked foes.
“Two good teams bumping heads,” Echoles said. “Whoever (is) going to do the most things right the most consistently (is) going to win the game.”
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