The Ole Miss Rebels head to Baton Rouge this Saturday night to take on undefeated, No. 5 LSU in a matchup that’s personal to both schools.

Not only are the two programs long-time rivals, with a history starting in 1894, but these coaches are intimately familiar with one another. After all, Tigers HC Ed Orgeron was once the head coach of the Rebels from 2005-2007, and that was an unmitigated disaster.

Under his watch, the Rebels went 10-25 (just 3-21 in SEC play), culminating in a 3-9 (0-8 in SEC) season in 2007 before mercifully being fired. Current Rebels HC Matt Luke was his OL coach during Orgeron’s first season before following mentor David Cutcliffe to Tennessee.

Orgeron took his firing personally, and his hatred of the Rebels has only added fuel to the already hot fire. He might have some justification for feeling he was fired before he had a chance to put a roster full of his recruits on the field (the 2008 and 2009 Rebels teams were very talented indeed), but no school in the SEC could justify keeping a coach who went 0-8 in conference play in his third year on the job, so there certainly was justification for his firing.

Now the two teams meet again for the annual Magnolia Bowl, which LSU has dominated recently, winning 6 of the past 8 and 13 of the past 18. For Ole Miss to have a chance, they must stop the run and pressure Tigers QB Joe Burrow. In other words, the Rebels’ defensive line needs to have one heck of a game.

In the first 3 games of the season, the defensive line struggled mightily. They were getting blown off the ball, they failed to generate a pass rush and couldn’t stick to their run fits, getting gashed against the run both inside and out.

In those 3 games, they generated just 1.5 sacks, and remember, one of those teams was Southern Illinois, an FCS school. The defensive line was a big reason the team was allowing more than 200 yards rushing per game. Sure, the LBs carry more than their share of the blame for poor rushing numbers, but the film of the DL proves those numbers weren’t a fluke.

Fortunately for the Rebels, the defensive line might have turned a corner last week against Kent State. They took over. They racked up 7 sacks, including 6 in the first half alone, and compiled 13 TFLs. They could have had even more if they were facing a less mobile QB (give Auburn transfer Woody Barrett credit, he might not have any accuracy, but the kid has some wheels).

Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

I know, I know, I know – it was against Kent State, you’re undoubtedly saying. This is what they should do against a vastly inferior team from the bottom rung of the MAC. Obviously, that’s a valid argument. But they also played at a level they hadn’t shown all year long.

They were penetrating the line through all gaps. They were harassing Barrett all game long, forcing him out of the pocket to throw on the run. They were disruptive at and behind the line of scrimmage. Kent State RBs gained just 83 yards on 21 carries.

More important than the stats was how they looked, because we all know that stats can be misleading or fail to paint an accurate picture. They were finally getting off the ball, initiating contact instead of receiving it. They were using their hands. They played with leverage. They rushed half-a-man. They hustled after the ball and played through the whistle. They looked hungry and confident. They played with a fire not seen since last year’s Egg Bowl.

If Ole Miss is going to have a chance in this game, they’re going to need their defensive line to replicate that kind of effort and performance, or at least play close to that level.

The Tigers again have another powerful rushing attack with a middling passing attack. As has been the case with the Tigers under Les Miles and now Orgeron, the key to beating them is stopping the run and forcing them to pass. That won’t necessarily be easy.

The Tigers lost Derrius Guice (who ran for 276 yards on the Rebels last year), but they’ve found an adequate replacement in Nick Brossette, who has rushed for 409 yards and 5 TDs on 83 carries this year. Backup Clyde Edwards-Helaire has also been strong, rushing for 208 yards and 4 TDs.

Fortunately for the Rebels, the Tigers’ offensive line has been banged up. All-SEC LG Garrett Brumfield left the game against La. Tech with a knee injury and won’t play against Ole Miss. True freshman Chasen Hines filled in for Brumfield. LT Saahdiq Charles has been out with an undisclosed injury and is listed as questionable. RT Adrian Magee, who opened the season as the starting RT, is out indefinitely. The line as a whole will be on its fifth starting lineup of the still young season this weekend.

As much as Tigers fans might be sold on Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow under center, he’s been rather pedestrian. He’s completing just 49 percent of his passes, averaging 6.9 yards per attempt. He might not have thrown any picks, but he’s also only thrown 3 TD passes in 4 games. He has been far more comfortable with short throws than he is with intermediate and deep balls. Ty Storey and Feleipe Franks are among the 6 SEC QBs who have more 30+ yard completions than Burrow (5). His already shaky accuracy plummets even further when pressured. He hasn’t made a ton of big plays, but he also hasn’t made any big mistakes.

In short, he’s been Danny Etling 2.0. He’s been a game manager who might or might not be able to carry the team with his arm if asked. We can’t say for certain about Burrow, because he hasn’t been forced to carry the offense yet. Whether we reach that point Saturday remains to be seen, but if it comes to that, it’ll likely be due to Ole Miss’ defensive line continuing to play at a high level.