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Brian Kelly made an appearance on SportsCenter on ESPN Wednesday night, during which he said he’s not bothered by the fact his Tigers are a 3.5-point underdog in their home building for Saturday’s matchup with Ole Miss.
“We haven’t done anything yet. We’re 1-0 in the SEC and we had to come from 17 points down,” Kelly said. “We’ve got plenty of time to earn our respect and it’ll have to start this Saturday.”
LSU is 12-0 in night games at Tiger Stadium under Brian Kelly. The program has enjoyed 13 consecutive home wins. Death Valley is never an easy place to go to, but the mystique intensifies when the sun goes down and the lights come on.
When these 2 teams met in Oxford a year ago, it was a barn-burner. The first quarter featured 28 points. The second quarter saw another 31 points fly onto the board. Ole Miss outscored LSU 21-7 in the fourth to win 55-49.
The 104 combined points were the most in series history. The 2 sides combined for 66 first downs and 1,343 yards of total offense. Jaxson Dart threw for 389 yards and 4 scores. Tre Harris burned the LSU secondary repeatedly.
After a disappointing loss to Kentucky, Ole Miss regained its offensive rhythm in a 27-3 win over South Carolina last week. LSU has seemingly been in a groove since the second quarter got underway at Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 14.
In order to keep this game from turning into another track meet, Kelly said the emphasis defensively has been on winning first down.
“If you’re giving up chunks of yardage on first down, they control the tempo, they control the pace of play, and they put you in a very difficult situation because you’re on your heels,” Kelly said.
“We’ve got to get our cleats in the ground. We’ve got to do a great job of tackling in space, which we did not do last year. And then put them behind the chains.”
Ole Miss wants to run and push. But the Rebels have been wasteful at times this season. It’s what led to the 20-17 defeat against Kentucky, when the opportunities dried up. Ole Miss was hammered for the gameplan it brought into the Kentucky game, and the Rebels responded with a more efficient, well-rounded showing against South Carolina, where they averaged 6.2 yards per play and got a number of players involved.
That first first down is what lets tempo teams get rolling. A chunk play supercharges things. Ole Miss ranks third nationally in EPA on early downs, per College Football Insiders. LSU has struggled in this area.
Kickoff between the 13th-ranked Tigers and the ninth-ranked Rebels is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Louisiana residents can use this bet365 Louisiana promo to bet on the game.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
