Ole Miss DE Princely Umanmielen reportedly a game-time decision against LSU

BATON ROUGE — Might the Rebels have star defensive end Princely Umanmielen back for tonight’s game against LSU? In Friday’s availability report, Ole Miss listed him as ‘questionable’ for the game against the Tigers. However, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported this morning that Umanmielen is a game-time decision.

Sources: Ole Miss star defensive end Princely Umanmielen is a game-time decision against LSU today. He’ll warm up and a decision will be made if he can play. He has 3.5 sacks and 6 TFLs for Ole Miss this season. pic.twitter.com/SwDH8VOTR4

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 12, 2024

Umanmielen, a transfer from Florida, missed last Saturday’s game at South Carolina following an injury he suffered in the Kentucky game. Having him able to participate against LSU would be huge for Ole Miss. In his five games this season, Umanmielen has notched 13 tackles (five of which are solo), six tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks and 5 quarterback hurries.

Ole Miss is currently No. 1 in FBS with 24 team sacks, as well as No. 1 in team tackles-for-loss (63). They’re also third in the nation in defensive 3rd down conversion percentage and second in the nation in red zone defense.

If Umanmielen is able to play, he and his fellow defensive linemen will face perhaps one of the best offensive lines in the country in LSU’s unit. The Tigers have only given up two sacks of Nussmeier all season — and neither of those came when the starting offensive line was on the field. Left tackle Will Campbell is projected to be the overall No. 5 pick in many 2025 NFL Mock Drafts. Right tackle Emery Jones is projected to be the No. 21 overall pick — so their offensive line is stout.

But so is Ole Miss’ defense.

In Umanmielen’s absence last week, sophomore Suntarine Perkins stepped in and was outstanding. He finished with a career-high 12 tackles, including two tackles-for-loss and one sack. For his efforts, he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week. He was joined in the weekly honors by Walter Nolen, who was named Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week. Against the Gamecocks, Nolen finished with five tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks and a fumble recovery. He is PFF’s third-rated interior defensive lineman in run-stopping at a 90.6 grade.

Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, Suntarine Perkins Earn SEC Weekly Awards. https://t.co/CZeVxajGEP

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) October 7, 2024

A look at the rest of the Availability Report: Will Tre Play?

In Friday’s availability report, Ole Miss upgraded wide receiver Tre Harris’ status as ‘probable’ for the game against LSU. He had been listed on Thursday as ‘questionable.’ The Louisiana native suffered an injury last Saturday against South Carolina and did not play in the second half.

Backup running back Matt Jones has been ruled out for tonight’s game, and there are some who believe that opens the door for Ulysses Bentley IV to see some playing time.

Defensive tackle JJ Pegues, listed as ‘questionable’ in Friday’s report, is expected to see action tonight.

Game info

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on ABC.