No. 24 LSU is coming off its best win of the year, a 41-3 shellacking of Kentucky. They welcome in the No. 3 Mississippi Rebels on Saturday, renewing their annual rivalry. Here are some of the numbers behind the matchup.

THE GOOD

  • 171. It had been 11 games, nearly a full season’s worth of games, since running back Terrence Magee put up 100 yards from scrimmage in a single game. He blasted past that barrier against Kentucky, totaling 171 combined rushing and receiving yards. Magee provides a nice change of pace, speed and elusiveness to complement the power of LSU’s other backs.
  • 84. Mississippi has had a top-flight offense this season, but it’s no thanks to their running game. The Rebels rank No. 84 in the nation at a shade over 151 yards per game, averaging less than 4 yards per carry. LSU’s run defense has stiffened up in recent weeks, but is the weak point of a talented defense. They won’t have to concern themselves with bringing extra men into the box against Ole Miss.
  • 15. This number is good for the fans: in the last two games between Ole Miss and LSU, the deciding score has come in the final 15 seconds of the game. With that kind of history between these two, that could mean drama in Death Valley on Saturday.

THE BAD

  • 2.87. LSU’s offensive line and running game have taken a step forward in the last few weeks. They’re about to run into a very stout challenge when they crash into Ole Miss. The Rebels give up a minuscule 2.87 yards per carry, second in the SEC and eighth in the nation.
  • 43.3. Travin Dural has 26 catches this season, already tripling his total from his freshman year. That’s good, but those 26 catches represent 43.3 percent of the catches made by all of the Tigers’ receivers, and only four wide receivers in total have caught passes this season. With Dural likely receiving plenty of attention from the SEC’s interception leader, Anthony Jennings is going to need some of his other targets to step up.
  • 29.6. It’s hard to sustain offense against Ole Miss, even harder when you can’t convert on third down. LSU hasn’t been great at that this season, at just 38 percent, and the Rebels are even stingier than that at 29.6 percent. LSU is going to have an uphill battle to score points, and they can help themselves by getting above their average conversion rate.