Ole Miss’ first bout with a ranked SEC opponent didn’t go as planned.
The Rebels suffered a 62-7 thrashing at the hands of No. 1 Alabama on Sept. 15, but they’ll have another chance at a conference upset against No. 5 LSU at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday in Baton Rouge. After the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) gave up 330 yards and three scores through the air last week against Louisiana Tech, many are curious to see how the Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1) passing attack will fare against their secondary.
Naturally, Luke was asked about that matchup among the several questions he fielded during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. Here’s what he had to say:
On LSU’s pass struggles last week, what do you see from that defense?
- I think the game got, 24-0, (Louisiana Tech) hit some big plays. Guys weren’t cut free. LSU is very talented at all three levels, that’s what I see. They are very talented.
On LSU’s pass rush:
- They do a good job subbing in fast guys on third down, so you can’t be in third-and-long. … We will have to take some shots early against them.
What does the Magnolia Bowl mean to Ole Miss?
- It’s huge. My dad played for Ole Miss in the 60s; it was the premiere game in college football. My brother played here, as well as myself. It’s huge for us.
Thoughts on the Billy Cannon statue that’s going up at LSU?
- I think it’s awesome, it’s part of what makes this game great.
On stopping LSU on the ground:
- Our struggles stopping the run are well-documented. We have to make them one dimensional. We will have to do a good job up front to do that.
Thoughts on Alabama’s team?
- They are really good on defense, even with young guys. They still have the same running game, and now they have young receivers and a great QB that can break it down with his feet, too.
What impressed you the most about Tua?
- His accuracy. … I was impressed with his poise on the road.
On LSU’s secondary, is it good for your WRs to see the tape from last week?
- I think it is. Any time you see someone else have success, it gives you confidence. But they covered us really well last week. I think the team that executes the best will win.
On special teams, how do you divide that up without a special teams coordinator?
- I did consider it, but we have Derrick Nix doing return, we have Jon Summerall that does coverages, but we have a special teams analyst that does all the prep work during the week.
Do you see the LSU game as one that will tell you where you are for the rest of the season?
- Yeah, we had some good games and some not so much. … For us to keep growing, we have to compete. We can compete with anyone so we need to go out there and do it.
How is your team on the injury front heading into this one?
- It’s been tough, especially at CB. We had guys leave, guys get hurt, but we are getting there.
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
