Ole Miss Football Practice Report: Week 7 vs. LSU

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) The No. 8 Ole Miss football team will face its toughest test yet as Lane Kiffin and the Rebels will head to Baton Rouge to take on No. 10 LSU, their first ranked opponent of the 2024 season.

Ole Miss used a phenomenal effort on defense and special teams to pick up its first SEC win on the road last week at South Carolina. Kiffin spoke about building off of that win in his Monday press conference. Jordan Watkins, Jared Ivey, Diego Pounds, John Saunders Jr. and Yam Banks also met with the media this week, which can be found below.

“Big week for us in preparation, going to play a really talented, well-coached team in a really challenging place to play, especially at night,” Kiffin said. “I think our guys are excited for the challenge coming off of last week’s road game. We’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of things to improve on, especially offensively. Felt really good about two of the three phases Saturday, and our goal is to play a complete game this week.”

Calling Baton Rouge

As it’s unfolding, we could be living through the craziest college football season in recent history. Ole Miss was stunned at home by Kentucky in its SEC opener to lose its top-five ranking, but the Rebels are far from alone. Just last week, Tennessee and Alabama both suffered the same fate at the hands of Arkansas and Vanderbilt, respectively. Now, only Texas remains as the SEC’s lone undefeated team.

“Every year is independent, every game is independent of every other game. I think you’ve seen in college football, you can’t even say what’s relevant a week ago,” Kiffin said. “Every week is always independent. I don’t know why it feels more than ever that you better get your team motivated and right each week, or you’re going to lose.”

While each week is different, one thing Kiffin knows he can count on is a dangerous LSU team waiting in Baton Rouge. The Rebels and Tigers have split four games in the Kiffin era, with the home team winning each time, a trend Ole Miss will look to end this season.

“Like all LSU teams, they’re extremely talented,” Kiffin said. “Great looking players. Really explosive on offense. You’ve got really good players that you have to go play against. It’s been that case for a long time.”

Uncertainty at Receiver

Ole Miss is unsure if it will have the services of one of its most explosive players, receiver Tre Harris. The SEC’s leading receiver left in the first half with an injury last week at South Carolina and didn’t return, and Kiffin said Monday that his status is still uncertain. The Rebel offense wasn’t quite the same in the second half without him, but Jordan Watkins and the rest of the room are ready to step up if he’s unable to go.

“Whenever you see Tre go down, that’s a huge concern for us just because he’s such a good player,” Watkins said. “It’s us telling ourselves as a receiver group that now it’s time to really step up and make plays.”

The Rebels will need to be at their best with or without Harris, particularly facing one of college football’s most hostile environments. The Rebels will be eyeing their first win in Baton Rouge since 2009.

“Being there in 2022, playing in Death Valley for the first time, that’s going to help out a lot because we’ve been around that environment already. It’s a very, very hostile environment. Their fans show up, they’re loud. So being in that environment once will probably help a little bit,” Watkins said. “It’s going to be a great crowd, it’s going to be a great environment, and we’re excited to go against LSU on their home turf.”

Trending Topics

Ole Miss will also be eyeing back-to-back victories over LSU for the first time since 2008-09. The home team has won each of the four meetings in the Lane Kiffin era, a trend the Rebels will look to end this weekend. Another trend Ole Miss hopes to halt: The field has been rushed in each of the last two meetings.

“Obviously that hit from Daijahn to force that fumble, but probably the most memorable thing was the end of the game, that last PBU and the fans rushing the field,” Ivey said. “It was a surreal feeling.”

Ivey recalled Daijahn Anthony’s highlight-reel hit on eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels to the media this week. While Daniels has moved on to the NFL, Ole Miss will still deal with a dangerous quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier, who ranks second in the SEC behind Jaxson Dart and fifth nationally with 330.4 passing yards per game. He isn’t the dynamic runner that Daniels is, but Ivey and Co. know he and the Tiger offense will still present plenty of challenges.

“He’s a good player. He’s a stockier, stouter kind of guy, a lot different than Jayden, but he’s a good player. He’s got enough speed to go get a first down, break protection and run for some yards,” Ivey said. “They do a good job pushing the ball downfield. They have some fast receivers, just keeping the top on the defense and giving them some rush so they don’t have to cover all day.”

Up Next

The Rebels will continue their week of game preparation heading into Baton Rouge this weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 12, the No.9 Ole Miss Rebels will take on the No.13 LSU Tigers at 6:30 pm CT on the ABC network.