Four Keys to an Ole Miss Win over LSU
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss kicks off against LSU at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in an important SEC West battle at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Here are our four keys to success for the Rebels.
Four keys for the Rebels against LSU
Put Pressure on LSU QB Max Johnson
Much like one of the keys last week versus Tennessee, the Ole Miss defense will need to get to the LSU quarterback. Against Tennessee, the Rebels did a good job of getting pressure on Hendon Hooker, finishing the game with 5 sacks. They had 25 pressures on 44 drop backs.
Sam Williams with the huge sack late in the game pic.twitter.com/jIgWcRCH3y
— TJ (@TJOxley1) October 17, 2021
This season, LSU quarterback Max Johnson has a 42.9% completion rate when under pressure. Johnson is not a huge threat running the ball as he only has 90 yards on 21 scrambles this year and negative 2 yards on designed runs. He also is prone to putting the ball on ground as he has 6 fumbles so far this season.
Get Playmakers in Open Space
The LSU defense this season is giving up 11.4 yards per reception to opposing offenses. About 56% of the yards they have given up through the air have come after the catch, good for an average of 6.3 yards after catch per reception.
It will be important for Matt Corral to use the weapons he has and get the ball to them in the open field.
Keep Corral Clean
This season, the LSU defense has accumulated 138 quarterback pressures on 282 opponent drop backs (49%).
The Ole Miss offensive line has only allowed 50 pressures on 240 pass blocking opportunities (21%). After a game against Tennessee where Corral rushed the ball 30 times and got banged up in the process, it will be extremely important for the big guys up front to keep him clean. (Same goes if a backup QB is in the game for the Rebels.)
Stopping Davis-Price
LSU’s starting running back Tyrion Davis-Price has 574 yards rushing on 103 carries this year, good for 5.6 yards a carry.
Of his 574 this season, 434 yards have come in the last two games. In the last two games, Davis-Price is averaging 7.5 yards a carry. He had 147 rushing yards at Kentucky and 287 rushing yards vs. Florida. The latter was a single-game school record.
Tyrion Davis-Price vs Florida Highlights pic.twitter.com/LJqeD66JT1
— bigWRguy (@bigWRguy) October 17, 2021
(Feature image credit: Dan Anderson, The Rebel Walk)
Nick Filipich
Nick Filipich was born and raised in Biloxi, MS. He is an Ole Miss alum with a degree in Sports and Recreation Administration. A sports junkie with a great passion for all things Ole Miss, Nick played baseball and football in high school — which is where he discovered his love for sports. He is an avid Braves and Saints fan, and in his free time enjoys spending time with family, friends and his black lab, Dixie.
