Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s cross-division showdown between No. 3 Ole Miss and No. 24 LSU in Baton Rouge.

When: Tonight
Where: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Game Time: 7:15 ET
TV: ESPN
Current Line: Ole Miss (-3.5)

Game Buzz: Ole Miss stunned then-No. 6 LSU on a late field goal when these two teams met last year in Oxford. Now it’s Ole Miss that’s ranked in the top 10, while LSU sits with two losses hoping to play spoiler. The Rebels are one of three teams from the power five conferences yet to lose in 2014, while LSU sits with two losses hoping to throw a wrench into the Rebs’ championship plans. The Tigers are coming off a 41-3 win against Kentucky last week, and appear to be as hot as any team in the SEC. Ole Miss remains one of the best teams in the country, but it could be vulnerable in a night game in Death Valley. There’s a lot at stake for both sides as Ole Miss looks to avoid a loss a week before facing No. 5 Auburn, while LSU hopes to stay at just two loses in an attempt to salvage its season.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

OLE MISS REBELS

Players to watch:

  • QB Bo Wallace
  • RB Jaylen Walton
  • WR Laquon Treadwell
  • WR Vince Sanders
  • LT Laremy Tunsil
  • DT Robert Nkemdiche
  • CB Senquez Golson
  • S Cody Prewitt

Keys for Ole Miss:

  • Force the LSU offense to run through Anthony Jennings. The Tigers will be looking to establish their downhill rushing attack early in the game to take some of the pressure off Jennings under center. If Ole Miss can stymy the LSU run game and force the Tigers to beat them through the air, they’ll have a great chance of controlling the game on defense. If LSU runs the ball well early in the game, however, it could neutralize the vaunted “Landshark” defense, giving it a great chance at an upset.
  • Get the ball in Jaylen Walton’s hands in a handful of different ways. Walton torched the LSU defense for 130 yards on 22 touches in last year’s meeting between these two teams, and he has a great chance to repeat that big performance in this year’s showdown. The Tigers stifled Kentucky’s rushing attack last week, but prior to the win over the Wildcats the Tigers had struggled to stop the run, especially on the perimeter. If Ole Miss can get Walton the ball in space, be it as a tailback or as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, he has a chance to break a few big gains to help Bo Wallace and the Rebels offense.
  • Continue limiting turnovers on offense. Wallace has yet to throw an interception in SEC play, and it’s helped the Ole Miss offense keep up with its tremendous defense. The Rebels are a defense-first team, and they only really need 20 points per game to have a great chance at winning in conference play. As long as Wallace protects the football as he has in recent weeks, Ole Miss has enough talent on offense to get the job done, even in Death Valley.

Rebels’ glaring weakness to watch: It’s talked about every week, but the Rebels lack of a rushing attack has forced the offense to become one-dimensional at times, especially in the second halves of SEC games. The last thing the Ole Miss offense can afford to do is become predictable against an emerging LSU defense playing at night in Death Valley. The Rebels must run the ball well like they did in last year’s game, or they will run the risk of being upset in Baton Rouge.

Most interesting part of this game: Last year, Ole Miss was an unranked dark horse that spoiled a top 10 LSU team’s season in Oxford. This year’s game is a complete role-reversal, as LSU is the spoiler and Ole Miss is the top 10 team with national championship aspirations. Neither team is familiar with its current role, and it will be interesting to see which team adapts better to the circumstances — Ole Miss as the powerhouse program or LSU as the feisty underdog. If Ole Miss plays with confidence it should be fine. But if LSU comes out and plays loose and aggressive, it could have a chance to return the favor from last year and spoil the Rebels’ season.

Team buzz: The Rebels are now 7-0, and talk of an SEC West title and playoff berth has gone from fun hypothetical to legitimate possibility during the past month. Ole Miss is No. 3 in the nation and one of three remaining unbeatens from the power conferences, meaning the Rebels are facing loftier expectations than they’ve faced since the end of the Eli Manning era. A night game in Death Valley is one of a few remaining hurdles on Ole Miss’ regular season schedule, so there is a lot at stake Saturday night. If Ole Miss can escape with a victory, it’d be a huge momentum booster heading into a showdown with Auburn on Nov. 1. If the Rebels lose, they’d be a loss to Auburn away from watching their title chances fly out the window. This Saturday’s game is not a must-win for Ole Miss, but it’s close.

LSU TIGERS

Players to watch:

  • QB Anthony Jennings
  • RB Leonard Fournette
  • RB Terrence Magee
  • WR Travin Dural
  • WR Malachi Dupre
  • C Elliott Porter
  • DE Danielle Hunter
  • LB Kendell Beckwith
  • CB Tre’Davious White
  • S Jalen Collins

Keys for LSU:

  • Create running lanes. There is no easy way to move the ball against Ole Miss, and the Tigers will be pitting strength versus strength in the run game. LSU leans heavily on its running game, while the Rebels don’t yield at all in that aspect. They give up just 2.9 yards per carry and less than 100 yards per game. LSU’s offensive line has come together over the last few weeks and they’ll be facing their toughest challenge of the season against Ole Miss. Leonard Fournette is a powerful back and Terrence Magee can make a few guys miss, but they won’t be able to do anything if the offensive line can’t hold up.
  • Force Bo Wallace into mistakes. Wallace has been lights out in SEC play so far this season; he hasn’t committed a single turnover in four SEC games so far. That’s uncharacteristic, given his reputation for inconsistent decision making. Oddly enough, all six of Bo’s picks this season came against non-conference foes, and in both of those games the Rebels were involved in tight games. If LSU can create turnovers through pressure on Wallace and the shaky Ole Miss offensive line, earning themselves extra possessions and good field position against the Landshark defense will be critical.
  • Limit Anthony Jennings’ risk. Ole Miss leads the SEC in turnovers forced, and they’re tops in the nation in interceptions. Jennings has only been picked off three times this season, with two of them coming in his brutal start against New Mexico State. LSU will need him to be mistake free against an opportunistic defense, which means plenty of the screens we’ve seen from the Tigers the last two weeks, only taking deep shots when they present themselves.

Tigers’ glaring weakness to watch: LSU’s secondary receivers have been non-existent the last few weeks, but they’ll be needed against Ole Miss. Leading receiver Travin Dural will be matched by Senquez Golson, who already has 7 interceptions this season, and Jennings will have to look elsewhere if he wants to minimize turnovers. That means Malachi Dupre and Trey Quinn will have to re-emerge to give the Tigers’ passing game a chance.

Most interesting part of this game: Are night games in Death Valley still as terrifying as they’ve been in the past? Mississippi State came in a few weeks ago and beat the Tigers down, silencing the crowd and sending fans to the exits. If LSU falls behind, will they get the push they need from a crowd that even Les Miles has been less than thrilled with?

Team buzz: A few weeks ago, LSU looked dead in the water following a blowout loss to Auburn. A dramatic win over Florida and a dominating performance against Kentucky have people looking at the Tigers as if they might have a chance to make some noise. LSU has a chance to do just that against the Rebels.