Hugh Freeze knows Ed Orgeron very well. Since Orgeron’s rise to LSU interim head coach, Freeze has said multiple times how indebted he is to Orgeron for giving him a chance in 2005 at Ole Miss.

With the No. 23 Rebels preparing to face No. 25 LSU on Saturday night at rowdy Tiger Stadium, Freeze also knows this is a different team than the one that fired Les Miles after a 2-2 start.

Freeze said during Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference that the Tigers are different in their formations and are using a more balanced attack.

“They’re using the skill that they have at the wide receiver position very, very well,” Freeze said.

The numbers back Freeze up. Since Danny Etling took over at quarterback before the third game against Mississippi State, LSU has seen an uptick in passing. Three of its four highest totals of the season have come in the span. Saturday’s 276 passing yards was the season high.

Without Leonard Fournette against Missouri, the Tigers rushed for season-high 418 yards. They had a season-high 634 total yards against Missouri and a season-high 10.9 yards per play against Southern Miss a game after setting the season-high mark with 7.7 yards per play against Missouri.

Defense has complemented the offense. LSU has beaten Missouri and Southern Miss by a combined 87-17. Missouri rushed for 77 and passed for 188. Southern Miss rushed for 81 and passed for 161.

Those are the two lowest passing totals allowed on the season and the second- and third-lowest rushing totals allowed. It was also the two lowest total yardage outputs.

If LSU is going to continue its improvement offensively, Ole Miss is a good team to do that against. The Rebels are last in the SEC, allowing 446 yards per game.

“They’re as athletic and as good as anybody we’ve faced,” Freeze said. “They’re playing extremely well right now and very confident. A lot of that has to do obviously with Coach Orgeron has added a lot of excitement, and the players are feeling that energy.”

Fournette is expected to return after missing the last two games. He’ll be in a rotation Orgeron said during the teleconference. The increased balance, especially with Fournette at full speed, creates difficult matchups, according to Freeze, because of their athletic ability and the talent as a whole among the offensive line and running backs.

In the three games Fournette has played, he was on point. He rushed for 386 yards and 2 touchdowns on 67 carries, nearly six yards per carry. The Tigers are looking forward to adding that to Etling’s play under center.

“The quarterback really understands what they’re trying to get accomplished on every play, and he’s playing at a high level,” Freeze said. “There’s definitely a different look to it.”

LSU and Ole Miss have split the last eight meetings of the Magnolia Bowl rivalry. LSU opened as a 3-point favorite. In total offense in the SEC, Ole Miss is fifth (475.8 YPG) and LSU is eighth (408.5 YPG). Interestingly in yards per play, the two are third and fourth, LSU with 6.81 yards and Ole Miss with 6.80 yards per play.

Ole Miss will have to find a way to put the breaks on LSU’s streaking offense and avoid falling to 3-4 on the season in Death Valley. Due to Hurricane Matthew, this will be LSU’s sixth time in seven games playing at home.

“It’s a difficult place to play to begin with,” Freeze said. “Then you add their talent, and it’s a great task.”