Ole Miss vs. LSU Football Game Notes: Saturday, December 19, 2020

	OLE MISS (4-4) at LSU (4-5) Saturday, December 19 • 2:30 pm CT • Baton Rouge, Louisiana Tiger Stadium

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Ole Miss Notes (PDF) • LSU Notes (PDF) • SEC Notes (PDF)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This game marks the 109th all-time meeting between the Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers dating back to 1894.
• LSU is Ole Miss’ second-most played opponent behind Mississippi State, whom the Rebels will play for the 117th time on Nov. 28.
• LSU holds a 63-40-4 advantage in the series, 41-24-1 in Baton Rouge … The original record is 63-41-4 in favor of LSU with Ole Miss’ 2013 win vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• The home team has won six of the last eight meetings on the field.
• Saturday will mark the first regular season December game for Ole Miss since 2001 … It’s only the second such game for the Rebels in the last 50 seasons.
• It is also the first time since 2001 that Ole Miss hasn’t ended its regular season facing Mississippi State.
• The Dec. 19 matchup will be the latest regular season game played in program history.
• The Rebels have won three straight SEC games for the first time since 2014.
• QB Matt Corral ranks No. 3 in FBS in passing yards per game (343.0), No. 8 in passing TDs (24), No. 2 in total offense per game (381.9) and No. 7 in passing efficiency (187.3).
• RB Jerrion Ealy’s nine rushing touchdowns are the fifth-most in the SEC and No. 22 in FBS.
• WR Elijah Moore and TE Kenny Yeboah have elected to forgo the remaining games of their Rebel football careers in order to begin preparation for the 2021 NFL Draft.
 
OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin (Fresno State, 1998) is in his first season at Ole Miss, taking the reins for the Rebels as the 39th head coach in program history. Kiffin, who won two Conference USA titles in three seasons at Florida Atlantic, has more than 10 years of head coaching experience, including eight years at the NCAA level where he has posted an all-time record of 65-38. 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. In his first season at all three locations, Kiffin’s team improved in win differential (+3.33), scoring (+10.2), passing (+34.5 ypg) and rushing (+51.3 ypg). 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. He moved on to Colorado State in 1999 as a graduate assistant. He spent the 2000 season as defensive quality control assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars under Tom Coughlin.
 
LSU HEAD COACH ED ORGERON
Ed Orgeron (Northwestern State, 1984) is in his fifth year – fourth full year – as LSU’s head coach and has a 44-14 record with the Tigers, including a 4-5 mark so far this season. Of LSU’s 44 wins under Orgeron, 33 have come by double-figures and 13 have been over top 10 teams. The 13 top 10 wins rank as the second-most for any coach in LSU history, trailing only Les Miles who won 16 games over top 10 opponents in 12 years. In 2019, Orgeron led LSU to a national title and was consensus National Coach of the Year earning the honor from the Associated Press, Walter Camp, Eddie Robinson, Home Depot, George Munger and the AFCA. Orgeron, a native of Larose, Louisiana, is LSU’s 33rd head football coach, and the first Louisiana native to serve as head coach of the Tigers since West Monroe native Jerry Stovall held the position for three seasons in the early 1980s. Orgeron, who has also served as head coach at Ole Miss and Southern Cal, is 20-6 in his past 26 games as a head coach. Overall, Orgeron has a 35-33 overall mark as a collegiate head coach, including a 10-25 mark with the Rebels from 2005-07. Of LSU’s six losses under Orgeron, three have come by six points or less and two others came against the nation’s No. 1 ranked team.
 
TIGER SCOUTING REPORT
LSU is 4-5 overall entering this week’s game with Ole Miss and are coming off a 37-34 road upset over No. 6 Florida. The Tigers are averaging 416 yards of total offense per game, with 299 through the air and 117 yards coming on the ground. LSU has started two separate true freshmen in its last six games. Max Johnson got the start for the Tigers in Gainesville and completed 21 of his 36 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson also rushed 18 times for 52 yards. The Tigers’ top receiver, Terrace Marshall Jr. opted out of the season in November after tallying 731 receiving yards and 10 TDs through seven games. True freshman Kayshon Boutte has stepped up in Marshall’s absence and has tallied 100 yards receiving in back-to-back games. Tyrion Davis-Price is the leading rusher for the Tigers. He’s rushed 104 times for 446 and three touchdowns on the season. Defensively, the Tigers are allowing just 485 yards per game, giving up 331 through the air and 154 rushing yards per game. Cornerback Eli Ricks ranks No. 5 in FBS with four interceptions on the season. The Tigers’ kicker Cade York has connected on 14 his 17 field goal attempts, including five makes from greater than 50 yards.
 
OLE MISS-LSU SERIES HISTORY
• This game marks the 109th all-time meeting between the Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers dating back to 1894.
• LSU is Ole Miss’ second-most played opponent behind Mississippi State, whom the Rebels will play for the 117th time on Nov. 28.
• LSU holds a 63-40-4 advantage in the series, including a 41-24-1 mark in Baton Rouge.
• The original record is 63-41-4 in favor of LSU with Ole Miss’ 2013 victory vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• The home team has won six of the last eight meetings on the field.
 
LOUISIANA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features five players who hail from Louisiana: LB Zikerrion Baker (Mooringsport), LS John Bergeron (Covington), OL Peyton Cox (Metaire), DB Seth Hunter (New Orleans), OL DeSanto Rollins (Baton Rouge).
 
REBEL-TIGER CONNECTIONS
• OL Peyton Cox was teammates with the Tigers’ LB Hunter Faust at Jesuit HS in Metairie, Louisiana.
• Offensive lineman Carter Colquitt and LSU’s Quentin Skinner played together at Buford HS in Buford, Georgia.
• DB Miles Battle was teammates with LSU’s Josh White at Cy Creek HS outside of Houston, Texas.
• True freshman quarterback Sellers Shy and the Tigers’ Maurice Hampton, Jr. were teammates at Memphis University School in Memphis, Tennessee.
• LB Jakivuan Brown and the Tigers’ Raydarious Jones both went to Horn Lake HS in Horn Lake, Mississippi.
• DB Otis Reese and LSU’s Tory Carter attended Lee County HS in Leesburg, Georgia.
• TE Damarcus Thomas went to Saralnd HS in Alabama with LSU’s Cordale Flott.
• LSU coach Ed Orgeron was Ole Miss’ head coach from 2005-07, compiling a 10-25 overall record.
• Lane Kiffin and Orgeron worked together for about 10 years, first as assistants as Southern Cal in the early 2000s and then at stops at Tennessee and back to USC.
 
MOORE, YEBOAH END OLE MISS CAREERS
WR Elijah Moore and TE Kenny Yeboah have elected to forgo the remaining games of their Rebel football careers in order to begin preparation for the 2021 NFL Draft. Moore, a semifinalist for Biletnikoff Award, currently leads the country in receptions (86) and ranks No. 2 in receiving yards (1,193). He ranks No. 14 nationally with eight receiving touchdowns and No. 11 in all-purpose yards (158.3 ypg). Moore’s 1,193 receiving yards this season ranks No. 3 on Ole Miss’ single season record books. Yeboah has hauled in 27 catches for 524 yards and six touchdowns in his lone season at Ole Miss after transferring in from Temple. Yeboah’s receiving yards and six receiving TDs rank fifth and sixth respectively amongst FBS tight ends.
 
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE FOOTBALL
Saturday will mark the first regular season December game for Ole Miss since 2001. It’s only the second such game for the Rebels in the last 50 seasons. The Dec. 19 matchup will be the latest regular season game played in program history. It is also the first time since 2001 that Ole Miss hasn’t ended its regular season facing Mississippi State. By the time the LSU game kicks off, 21 days will have passed since the Rebels last played, the longest regular season break for Ole Miss since 1900 when they had 34 days between games.
 
HARD TO CORRAL
In his last three games, quarterback Matt Corral has put up video game-like numbers as he’s helped lead the Rebels to three straight SEC wins for the first time since 2014. Corral combined to complete 81.4 percent of his passes for 1,310 and 12 touchdowns yards against Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Mississippi State.
 
RETURN OF THE MAC
Punter Mac Brown is no stranger on Rebel special teams. The senior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has appeared in 36 career games for Ole Miss and continues to be a special weapon for the Rebels. Brown is averaging 46.3 yards per punt, with nine punts greater than 50 yards.
 
CORRAL NAMED MANNING AWARD FINALIST
Ole Miss sophomore quarterback Matt Corral was named as one of 12 finalists for the Manning Award on Thursday. The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that takes the candidates’ bowl performances into consideration in its balloting. Corral currently ranks top 10 nationally in passing yards (2,744), passing TDs (24), completion percentage (.729), passing efficiency (187.3) and yards per pass attempt (10.8).
 
REESE SHINES IN REBEL DEBUT
Defensive back Otis Reese, who recently was granted a transfer waiver and ruled eligible to play for the remaining games of the 2020 football season, earned the start and season debut in the Rebel’s last game out vs. Mississippi State. Reese tallied eight total tackles and one pass breakup vs. the Bulldogs.
 
REBELS SIGN TOP 20 CLASS ON EARLY SIGNING DAY
The first full recruiting class of the Lane Kiffin era is off to a strong start as the Ole Miss football team inked 22 signees for the Class of 2021 and closed the day at No. 18 in the team rankings by both 247Sports and Rivals. The Rebels boast 13 signees with a four-star rating and nine three-star prospects according to the national recruiting services. Of the 22 total signees, 16 will be mid-year enrollees and will get a head start on their careers in Oxford in the coming weeks.
 
MOVIN’ UP THE RECORD BOOK
K Luke Logan continues to move his way up the Ole Miss record books. The senior from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is fourth in Rebel history in both career PATs made and points kicking (126 and 243).
 
BIG PLAY POTENTIAL
Eight games into the 2020 season, Ole Miss leads numerous explosive play categories. The Rebels have 162 plays of 10 or more yards and are the only team in the FBS with 140-plus such plays in only eight or less games. Ole Miss also ranks No. 3 in the country with 10 plays greater than 50 yards.
 
MAC BROWN RAISES OVER 100K FOR ALS RESEARCH
When he was in seventh grade, Ole Miss punter Mac Brown had a modest goal of raising $500 for a childhood friend’s   dad who had been diagnosed with ALS. Along with a group of neighborhood friends, Brown started a lemonade stand, Awesome Lemonade Stand, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to help his friend’s family. Eight years later, that $500 goal has ballooned to over $100,000 raised by Brown and his friends for ALS research. The Awesome Lemonade Stand is held on a late day in June, and this year’s fundraiser raised more than $30,000 alone.
 
BROWN NAMED TO SEC COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM
Ole Miss senior punter Mac Brown was selected to the Southeastern Conference Community Service team, the league office announced Thursday. The SEC names a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.
 
REBEL DEBUTS
Twenty-two different Rebels have made their Ole Miss debuts this season: Eli Acker (OL), Derek Bermudez (DB), Marc Britt (DB), Jakivuan Brown (LB), Kentrel Bullock (RB), Demon Clowney (OLB), Carter Colquitt (OL), Lakevias Daniel (DB), Jalen Denton (DB), Daylen Gill (LB), Cedric Johnson (OLB), Austin Keys (LB), Deane Leonard (DB), Brandon Mack (OLB), Henry Parrish Jr. (RB), Otis Reese (DB), Jamar Richardson (DB), Tavius Robinson (OLB), Chase Rogers (TE), Urriah Shephard (RB), Jakwaize Walker (DB), Kenny Yeboah (TE).
 
FIRST-TIME STARTERS
Fifteen different Rebels have started their first game in an Ole Miss uniform this season: Nick Broeker (OL), Sincere David (NT), A.J. Finley (FS), Daylen Gill (LB), Jakorey Hawkins (CB), KD Hill (NT), Jeremy James (OL), Deane Leonard (CB), Brandon Mack (Buck), Reece McIntyre (OL), Hal Northern (DE), Otis Reese (DB), Tavius Robinson (Buck), Caleb Warren (OL), Kenny Yeboah (TE). QB John Rhys Plumlee, who started eight games at quarterback in 2019, registered his first career start at wide receiver in the season opener vs. Florida.
 
STRONGER TOGETHER INITIATIVE
During the 2020-21 academic year, college and university athletics programs in Mississippi will incorporate a special logo on their uniforms, equipment, warm-up gear or bags. The logo will serve as a visual representation of the state’s schools coming together and will feature school-specific branding with the words “Stronger Together” inside the outline of Mississippi. Alcorn State, Blue Mountain College, Delta State, Jackson State, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Millsaps College, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State, Rust College, Tougaloo College and William Carey University are among the schools that are taking part in the “Stronger Together” initiative this season.
 
KIFFIN’S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON THURSDAYS
RebTalk, the official weekly radio show of Ole Miss Athletics, is moving to a new day and location for this season. RebTalk will be broadcast each Thursday this fall at Bouré in downtown Oxford from 6-7 p.m. The show, which is hosted by the “Voice of the Rebels” David Kellum and includes special guests, will air live on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network. Ole Miss Football head coach Lane Kiffin and select players will join the broadcast each Thursday throughout the season.
 
SEC CREATES COUNCIL ON RACIAL EQUITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE
The Southeastern Conference recently announced the creation of the SEC Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice, a league-wide body consisting of a diverse group of student-athletes, administrators, coaches and SEC staff. LB MoMo Sanogo and punter Mac Brown will represent Ole Miss on the council that will identify resources, outline strategies and assist with implementation of efforts that, when taken together, will promote racial equity and social justice. The council will also foster diversity, helping overcome racism and pursuing non-discrimination in intercollegiate athletics.