OXFORD, Miss — Mississippi and its high-flying offense stalled in the season’s first matchup of ranked SEC West teams.
The 20th-ranked Rebels get a quick second chance in that scenario, while quarterback Jayden Daniels and No. 12 LSU's own dynamic offense hope to avoid a similar fate on the road. Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) is trying to rebound from that 24-10 loss at No. 12 Alabama and remain a division contender.
The Tigers (3-1, 2-0) showed resiliency in rallying for a 34-31 win over Arkansas after falling behind 13-3 late in the first half. It was a positive sign for a team that hadn't been challenged since an opening loss to No. 5 Florida State.
“This was our first chance really to identify who we were when we got down late and we immediately responded and we came out in the second half and played the kind of football that I expect -- never flinching, knowing that we were going to take some more shots,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said.
The Rebels face a test of their own resiliency in trying to rebound from last weekend's disappointment.
“That's what you have to do when you play in a conference like the SEC,” Ole Miss tailback Quinshon Judkins said. “You can't dwell on this past Saturday."
It's a matchup of the SEC's top two scoring offenses, with LSU averaging 42.8 points and Ole Miss 42.0.
The Tigers are led by Daniels and wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas.
“I would argue maybe the hottest offense in the country,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said of LSU.
PERKINS & PERKINS
Ole Miss freshman linebacker Suntarine Perkins is doing a good job following in the footsteps of an LSU star with the same surname. LSU's Harold Perkins Jr. was an AP All-SEC first-team pick last season as a freshman after racking up 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. The Rebels' Suntarine Perkins leads all SEC freshmen and is tied for the FBS lead among freshmen with three sacks.
RECEIVING THREATS
LSU wide receiver Thomas, who so far has taken a distant back seat to Nabers in the publicity department, is starting to make defenses pay for leaving him in single coverage. Thomas had five catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas.
“B.T. gets some one-on-one match ups that are favorable and Jayden’s seeing that and we’re taking advantage of it,” Kelly said. “And Brian’s obviously very capable to win in those.”
Ole Miss has several key targets making their way back from injury — star wide receiver Tre Harris, receiver Zakhari Franklin and tight end Caden Prieskorn.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
If not for three key defensive stands in the red zone, LSU might not have rallied last week from a 10-point deficit against an Arkansas offense that continuously drove inside the Tigers’ 20. But the Tigers showed their potential in those situations.
Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins said LSU's defensive front is “definitely more physical than the Alabama front was. Way bigger.”
BACKFIELDS
Ole Miss is still waiting for a breakout game from Judkins. The preseason All-American player, who has dealt with an injury, is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry with 201 yards and four touchdowns.
Logan Diggs, a transfer who previously played for Kelly at Notre Dame, appears to be emerging as LSU’s primary running back.
MOBILE QBS
Both defenses got some practice dealing with mobile quarterbacks last week, which may come in handy this week. Ole Miss faced Alabama's Jalen Milroe and LSU contended with Arkansas' KJ Jefferson.
The Rebels' quarterback Jaxson Dart ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia Tech. The Tigers' Daniels has run for 2,341 yards and 26 touchdowns in his career at Arizona State and LSU. He just became the sixth FBS player with 10,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in a career.
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