WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 113th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and LSU dating back to 1894 … LSU is Ole Miss’ second-most played opponent behind Mississippi State, who the Rebels will play for the 120th time this November.
• LSU holds a 65-42-4 advantage in the series, including a 43-24-1 mark in Baton Rouge … The original series record is 65-43-4 in favor of LSU, with Ole Miss’ 2013 victory vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• Since the rivals started playing for the Magnolia Bowl trophy in 2008, LSU holds a 10-5 edge.
• This will be the 12th all-time meeting with Ole Miss and LSU both ranked … LSU leads 7-4 in such games.
• Lane Kiffin (100) and LSU’s Brian Kelly (190) are the lone active SEC head coaches with 100 career FBS victories.
• The Rebels are 34-11 overall since 2021 and rank third among all SEC schools in wins in that span.
• Ole Miss owns both the FBS’ top point differential (+219) and yardage differential (+1,856).
• Ole Miss leads the FBS in rushing defense (63.7), yards per rush allowed (1.79), sacks (24), tackles for loss (63) and is tied with Texas for fewest touchdowns allowed (3).
• Ole Miss has two of the top-five PFF pass rushers in DE Jared Ivey (3rd, 89.5) and DE Princely Umanmielen (6th, 86.9), and two of the top-five run defenders in DT JJ Pegues (1st, 91.4) and DT Walter Nolen (3rd, 90.6).
• QB Jaxson Dart ranks top-five in six passing categories and is PFF’s current top-rated QB at a 91.8 grade … Dart is one of four active FBS QBs with 9,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards.
• WR Tre Harris leads the FBS with 885 receiving yards, 173 more than the next best receiver nationally.
• DT JJ Pegues owns four rushing TD this season, the most by a DL in at least the last 20 years (per ESPN).
• Ole Miss owns the SEC’s fastest offense at 22.2 seconds per play (FBS No. 6).
OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin is in his fifth season at Ole Miss and has led the Rebels to four consecutive bowl berths, including two New Year’s Six appearances, under his guidance since 2020. In 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has posted an all-time record of 100-50, including a 39-16 mark at Ole Miss. Kiffin led the 2023 Rebels to the best season in Ole Miss history in terms of wins, notching an 11-2 overall record capped by a 38-25 Peach Bowl victory over Penn State. The Rebels finished No. 9 in both final versions of the AP and Coaches polls, the highest finish overall since 2015 (No. 9 Coaches) and their highest in the final AP poll since 1969 (No. 8). In 2022, Kiffin led the Rebels to the Texas Bowl, thanks to another dynamite offense that ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing offense (256.6) and No. 8 in total offense (496.4) in 2022. Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, its highest final ranking since 2016. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in his first season in 2020. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998.
LSU HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY
Brian Kelly enters his third year with the Tigers in 2024 and owns a 308-105-2 career mark (33 years) and 24-8 record in Baton Rouge. Kelly took over at LSU in 2022 after 12 years and 113 wins at Notre Dame. In his first two years at LSU,
Kelly helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back 10-win seasons, joining Les Miles as the only two coached in LSU history to accomplish that feat. Kelly has now won at least 10 games for seven straight years, the longest active streak among all FBS coaches. Kelly’s coaching resume includes a total of 12 seasons with 10 wins at the FBS level (seven at Notre Dame, three at Cincinnati, two at LSU), along with 15 bowl/CFP playoff appearances and three National Coach of the Year honors (2009 at Cincinnati, 2012 and 2018 at Notre Dame). Kelly’s record includes a 113-40 mark at Notre Dame, where he’s the winningest coach in school history; 34-6 at Cincinnati (4 years), 19-16 at Central Michigan (3 years) and 118-35-2 at Grand Valley State (13 years). He won two Division II National Championships at Grand Valley State and is the winningest active coach in college football.
TIGER SCOUTING REPORT
LSU enters the week 4-1 overall and 1-0 in SEC play, and is ranked No. 10 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the AP rankings. Their lone loss of the year came in their season-opener against No. 23 USC, a 27-20 loss at the Vegas Kickoff Classic. LSU ranks No. 16 in the FBS in total offense (468.2 ypg) and No. 7 in passing yards (337.0 ypg). Junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has thrown for 1,652 yards with 15 touchdowns, compared to just four interceptions. Four Tiger receivers have hauled in 20 or more receptions, including Kyren Lacy who has tallied five TDs this year. Caden Durham, a true freshman running back, is averaging 8.4 yards per carry, with three touchdowns on the ground. Helping supplement that offense is extreme discipline on both sides of the ball, as LSU is the SEC’s least-penalized team with just 15 flags this season. LSU ranks No. 4 in the country with just two sacks allowed through the season’s first five games. Defensively, the Tigers allowing just 353.6 yards per game. Linebacker Whit Weeks leads the Tigers with 41 total tackles, including four TFL. Defensive ends Bradyn Swinson and Sai’vion Jones both rank in the top 20 nationally in sacks, with five and 4.5 respectively.
OLE MISS-LSU SERIES HISTORY
• This game marks the 113th all-time meeting between the Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers dating back to 1894.
• LSU holds a 65-42-4 advantage in the series, including a 43-24-1 mark in Baton Rouge.
• The original record is 65-43-4 in favor of LSU, with Ole Miss’ 2013 victory in Oxford vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• LSU is Ole Miss’ second-most played opponent behind Mississippi State, which will reach 120 meetings on Nov. 29.
• Since the rivals started playing for the Magnolia Bowl trophy in 2008, LSU holds a 10-5 edge … Ole Miss’ win in 2013 was vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• The home team has won 10 of the last 12 meetings on the field.
• This will be the 12th all-time meeting with both the Rebels and Tigers simultaneously ranked, the second in a row and only the second since 2016 … LSU leads 7-4 in such games.
MAGNOLIA BOWL HISTORY
In 2008, student governments from Ole Miss and LSU worked to enhance the spirit of the football rivalry and introduced the Magnolia Bowl. After first garnering the support of the universities’ athletics departments and alumni associations, student leaders set forth in April 2008 with a “Name that Rivalry” campaign for students to provide input on the name via text messaging. The student governments then voted in their respective Student Senates. LSU holds a 10-5 edge in Magnolia Bowl meetings, with Ole Miss’ win in 2013 being vacated due to NCAA ruling. The Rebels prevailed 31-13 in the initial playing of the Magnolia Bowl.
REBS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss currently ranks No. 8 in the Coaches poll and No. 9 the Associated Press poll for Week Seven.
• Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top-25 in 51 of the last 55 poll releases … That includes a streak of 29 across 2021 and 2022, the longest streak since being ranked for 41 straight weeks from 2014-16.
• The SEC boasts nine teams in the top 25, including six within the top-10 and two in the top-5.
INSTANT CLASSIC
No. 20 Ole Miss and No. 12 LSU put on a show in Oxford in 2023, with the Rebels coming out on top, 55-49, in an instant classic shootout. It all came down to the final play in front of a then-record crowd of 66,703 and under a full moon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Graduated senior safety and current Cincinnati Bengal Daijahn Anthony broke up a potential game-winning touchdown pass from the eventual Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels, as time expired — sending the Vaught into a frenzy. The fireworks last year combined for one of the largest offensive outputs in conference history and one of the top overall offensive performances in the Rebel record books.
WIN NO. 100 FOR LANE KIFFIN
With Ole Miss’ 27-3 win at South Carolina, head coach Lane Kiffin passed the century mark in his coaching career with his 100th total victory. Kiffin is 39-16 in his five seasons with the Rebels, which joins a 7-6 record at Tennessee (2009), a 28-15 mark at USC (2010-13) and a 26-13 split at Florida Atlantic (2017-19). His victory at South Carolina also stands as his 25th career SEC win, which includes a 21-14 mark at Ole Miss and a 4-4 record during his one season at Tennessee in 2009. Kiffin is among 30 active FBS head coaches with 100 victories across all levels of college football, and he sits as one of only three in the SEC alongside LSU’s Brian Kelly (287) and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer (109). But in FBS-only victories, Kiffin is among a company of just 15 active coaches with 100 FBS wins — one of two in the SEC alongside Kelly (190). At current power conference schools (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC), Kiffin ranks among 10 active coaches with 100 FBS wins.
THIS IS 40 (WINS)
Head coach Lane Kiffin has a chance to mark another milestone this week as well, as he stands on the precipice of becoming the fastest coach to 40 wins in Ole Miss football history. Kiffin is 39-16 in the middle of his fifth season with the Rebels, and a win at LSU on Saturday would put him at the 40-win plateau three games faster than Ole Miss legend John Vaught, who was 40-16-3 in his first 59 games. Kiffin would only be the fourth coach in Ole Miss history to reach 40 wins alongside Vaught, who finished 190-61-12 in 25 seasons, Billy Brewer, who was 67-56-3 in 11 seasons, and David Cutcliffe, who was 44-29 in seven seasons. At previous milestones, Kiffin was the second-fastest to 30 wins (30-14) to Harry Mehre (30-7-1), and was tied with Vaught (20-7-1) for second-fastest to 20 wins (20-8) to Mehre (20-4).
REBELS AMONG THE PFF RANKS
Ole Miss has also garnered respect via Pro Football Focus, leading the SEC and ranking fourth overall in team rating (95.6). The Rebels lead the FBS in defensive rating (94.5) and run defense (96.7), and rank top-five in tackling (3rd, 86.0) and pass rush (4th, 85.6). Offensively, Ole Miss ranks top-10 in passing (4th, 91.2), offensive rating (6th, 88.7) and receiving (6th, 82.3).
LOCK THE ENDZONE
The Rebel defense currently leads the FBS in rushing defense (63.7), yards per rush (1.79), sacks (24), tackles for loss (63) and tied with Texas for first in fewest touchdowns allowed (3). Ole Miss recently held South Carolina to just three points, its fewest against an SEC opponent since doing the same to Texas A&M in 2015 and one of only seven games since the turn of the millennium in which the Rebels have held an SEC opponent out of the endzone. In total, that marked the 29th such game in available records since at least 1964. Ole Miss ranks third nationally at both 7.5 points allowed per game and 45 total points yielded in 2024. The Rebels allowed their first touchdown of the season at the 14:12 mark of the second quarter to Georgia Southern on a halfback pass, ending its touchdown-less streak at 195:48 of game time — the longest such streak by a Rebel defense since 1959, when Ole Miss shut out eight of its 11 opponents and only gave up 21 points all season long. Furthermore, Ole Miss did not trail until a Kentucky touchdown with 27 seconds left in the first half gave the Wildcats a 10-7 lead into the break. That score ended 269:33 of consecutive lead time for the Rebels to start the 2024 season, and was the first time trailing since the first quarter against Penn State in the 2023 Peach Bowl last December. In total, Ole Miss’ consecutive lead time from the Peach Bowl until Sept. 28 clocked in at 315:03.
CAUSING MAYHEM
The Ole Miss defense has been ever-present in the backfield, currently leading the nation in tackles for loss (63) and total forced yards lost at 258 — averaging 10.5 TFL for 43.0 yards lost per game this season. The Rebels have four games with double-digit TFL this season, already the most by an Ole Miss defense since the 2015 squad that ended with four such games under its belt. Ole Miss was particularly destructive in the season-opener against Furman, rattling the Paladins for a whopping 16 TFL for a loss of 62 yards — the most TFL since Ole Miss notched 17 vs. Mississippi State in 2000, as well as the most yards lost since denting Kent State for 76 in 2018. Ole Miss is coming off a 35-sack season during its historic 2023 campaign, which marked the first time since the sack became an official college statistic in 1983 that the Rebels have recorded at least 35 in three consecutive seasons. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss has recorded multiple sacks in 40 games, at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 38 games, and at least 4.0 sacks in 22 games. In games under Kiffin with at least 5.0 tackles for loss, Ole Miss is 28-10, and in games with at least 4.0 sacks, the Rebels are 13-4.
HIDE YOUR QB
The Rebel defense also owns the nation’s best pass rush at 24 total sacks. More than half of Ole Miss’ season total of 258 forced yards lost have come via the QB sack, with the Rebels racking up 165 yards when dragging the opposing QB down. Ole Miss owns two of the SEC’s top-10 current pass rushers in DE Jared Ivey (5.0) and DE Suntarine Perkins (4.5), and not far behind them are DE Princely Umanmielen (3.5), DT Walter Nolen (2.5) and LB Chris Paul Jr. (2.5). Ivey just recently cracked the all-time top-10 at Ole Miss in sacks, ranking 10th all-time at 14.0 total.
FEARSOME FRONT
The Ole Miss defensive line entered 2024 with a considerable amount of hype, and per PFF grades the Rebels have lived up to that pressure brilliantly. Among edge defenders, Ole Miss possesses the top two in the SEC and two of the top-six rated defenders in the FBS in DE Jared Ivey (3rd, 89.5) and DE Princely Umanmielen (6th, 86.9). Ivey is also PFF’s fifth-rated edge defender in pass rushing at an 87.7 grade, while Umanmielen ranks eighth among edge defenders in run stopping (83.8). In run stopping overall, the Rebels own two of the top-three rated defensive linemen in DT JJ Pegues (No. 1, 91.4) and DT Walter Nolen (3rd, 90.6), as well as DT Zxavian Harris (15th, 84.7). Combined, Ole Miss’ four main starters on the defensive line — Ivey, Nolen, Pegues and Umanmielen — have tallied up 71 tackles, 23.5 TFL for 98 yards, 11.5 sacks for 74 yards and 12 quarterback hurries.
TACKLING MACHINES
Against South Carolina, Ole Miss received two dominant defensive efforts from LB TJ Dottery and DE Suntarine Perkins, who combined for 25 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks. Dottery, who only had three career tackles entering the season, has hit career-high double-digits in each of the last two weeks, charting 10 stops against Kentucky and 13 against the Gamecocks — 23 of his 38 season total. On the season, Dottery ranks as the SEC’s No. 7 tackler on a per-game basis at his 7.6 tackle average. Perkins’ last two weeks account for an even larger percentage after recording six stops against the Wildcats and a career-high 12 against South Carolina — 19 of his 25 tackles in 2024.
TOUGH SLEDDING
South Carolina was the first Rebel opponent this season to break 100 yards rushing, snapping the longest consecutive streak holding opponents below the century mark at Ole Miss since the 1999 Rebels did so six times to open the season and seven times within their first eight games. The Rebels lead all FBS schools at a paltry 63.7 yards allowed per game, which includes an FBS-leading 1.79 yards per carry allowed. In available records, this Ole Miss defense is the first to hold four consecutive opponents to fewer than 50 yards rushing in the same season since at least 1969, when reliable game-by-game team stats become available. The three straight sub-50 yard performances to start were the first such streak since 1993, and the two sub-30 efforts by the Rebel defense were also the first since the 1999 season.
INTO THE FIRE
The Rebels put massive work into the portal this past offseason, and nowhere is that more noticeable than on defense, where a bevy of newcomers have immediately made their presence felt. On the year, 36.5 of Ole Miss’ FBS-leading 63 tackles for loss have come from newcomers, led by junior LB Chris Paul Jr. (7.0 for 28 yards) and 6.0 apiece from DT Walter Nolen (17 yards) and DE Princely Umanmielen (30 yards). Paul Jr. is also Ole Miss’ current leading tackler at 41 total stops, 2.5 sacks, seven QB hurries and two pass breakups. Fellow LB TJ Dottery played one game for the Rebels in 2023, but is enjoying success in his first full season at Ole Miss as the team’s second-leading tackler at 38 total stops. Overall, four of Ole Miss’ top-10 tacklers this season are in their first full campaigns with the Rebels: Paul Jr. (41), Dottery (38), CB Trey Amos (28) and DT Walter Nolen (24).
RACKING UP THE YARDS
Kiffin’s dynamic Ole Miss offenses have single-handedly dismantled the Rebel record books, recording three of the top-five and four of the top-10 offensive seasons in school history since 2020. With those big single-season numbers come monster single-game numbers as well. Kiffin owns 26 games during his Ole Miss tenure with at least 600 yards of total offense, as opposed to just 16 times total from the beginning of the Ole Miss football program in 1893 until Kiffin’s arrival in 2020. At the 700-yard plateau, Kiffin’s Rebels own five of the seven total 700-yard games in Ole Miss history, as well as six of the top-eight performances all-time.
DON’T BLINK
Ole Miss is once again running a lightning-quick offense in 2024, currently leading the SEC and ranked sixth in FBS at 22.2 seconds per play. On the season, Ole Miss owns 19 scoring drives under two minutes and 10 under one minute. Included in the latter total are two furiously fast drives against Furman in the season opener: a 7-second drive that featured Austin Simmons’ first collegiate pass, a 35-yard touchdown strike to Cayden Lee, as well as a 9-second score on a 61-yard bomb from Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is 33-7 when scoring first.
LEGENDARY STATUS
Senior QB Jaxson Dart has etched his name all over Ole Miss’ record book in three highly successful seasons leading the Rebel offensive attack, but a win Saturday would tie him as the winningest quarterback of Ole Miss’ modern era. At 23-8 as a starter at Ole Miss, a victory against LSU would slot Dart next to Eli Manning (24-13) and Bo Wallace (24-15) as the lone Rebels to reach the 24-victory plateau. For this scenario, Ole Miss’ modern era is considered since the first career start by Archie Manning on Sept. 21, 1968 at Memphis. Verifying games started prior to Manning’s 1968 season is inconsistent via available records, as well as considering that underclassmen rarely started and the quarterback was less of a permanent position in John Vaught’s offensive scheme. One unverified source has College Football Hall of Famer Jake Gibbs at 23-3-1 as the starter of Ole Miss’ powerhouse teams from 1958-60, while several other QBs during the highly successful 1950s would have potentially high (but unlikely) win totals as well.
THROWIN’ DARTS
Senior QB Jaxson Dart started the 2024 campaign off better than any SEC signal caller since the dawn of the new millennium, and he has the numbers to prove it. Dart leads the nation in yards per attempt (12.1) while also ranking within the FBS top-15 in eight additional areas. Dart’s 1,554 passing yards through four games ranked as the most by an SEC quarterback since 1998, when Kentucky’s Tim Couch put up 1,577 yards in his first four contests. Dart’s four consecutive 300-yard outings to open the 2024 season made him one of just two SEC quarterbacks to do so in the last 20 yards alongside Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett in 2010. Dating back to his 379-yard performance against Penn State in the Peach Bowl, Dart’s five consecutive 370-yard games ranks as the longest streak in the SEC in the last 20 years.
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