College Football Game of the Week: No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 13 LSU

You can never go wrong with SEC football. Make it a rivalry game in Death Valley, and you’re in for a show as the 13th-ranked LSU Tigers get set to host the ninth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels.

This week’s game marks the 112th edition of the Magnolia Bowl, a series that LSU leads 63-42-4. Ole Miss won last year’s matchup 55-49.

LSU started the season off on the wrong foot with a 27-20 loss to USC in week one. Since then, the Tigers have won four straight, including a 42-10 win over South Alabama last week.

Ole Miss is also a one-loss team. The Rebels are coming off a convincing 27-3 victory at South Carolina after having lost in upset fashion to an unranked Kentucky team 20-17 the week prior.

Ole Miss has put together a special 2024 campaign thus far. The Rebels are second in the FBS in offensive yards per game with 576.8, third in points allowed with 7.5, and they lead the nation in sacks with 24.

The Rebels also have a Heisman trophy candidate at quarterback in senior Jaxson Dart. Going into this matchup with LSU, Dart has thrown for 2,100 yards on the season with 13 touchdown passes and two interceptions to go along with an 87.6 QBR.

Last week’s aforementioned win over South Alabama was a huge momentum booster for LSU going into a top-15 matchup. The Tigers wracked up 667 yards of total offense while averaging an eye-popping 9.7 yards per play.

Junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw for a career-high 409 yards in the win while freshman running back Caden Durham led the way on the ground with 128 rushing yards.

LSU is averaging 35.2 points per game and 468.2 yards per game through their first five matchups. Defensively, the Tigers have allowed 353.6 yards per game and 21.6 points per game.

On paper, it looks as if Ole Miss has the edge in this matchup. However, as they say, “there’s no place like home.” LSU is going to have to ride the momentum that comes with home-field advantage. Tiger Stadium is consistently ranked as one of the best venues in college football, so feeding off the energy of the home crowd should not be a problem for the Tigers.

On the field, the Tigers must rely heavily on their offensive line to protect Nussmeier against a Rebels defense that loves to pressure the quarterback. LSU will specifically look out for sophomore linebacker Suntarine Perkins and senior defensive end Princely Umanmielen who are the team’s sack leaders with 4.5 and 3.5, respectively.

This year’s edition of the Magnolia Bowl also has the potential to turn into a quarterback duel as LSU’s Nussmeier is also trying to build a Heisman resume. A big win over Ole Miss could go a long way for the junior signal caller.

It is early, but some playoff implications could also be attached to this game as a second loss at this point in the season for either of these SEC opponents could significantly alter their chances, even in a 12-team playoff.

Regardless, this game should encapsulate the grit and thrill that is SEC football.

Isaac Hallock is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email idh5055@psu.edu.