BATON ROUGE, La. -- Third-ranked Mississippi is about to make its second appearance in LSU's Death Valley in the Hugh Freeze era, but things have changed since the first visit two seasons ago.
Freeze recalls how proud the Rebels were to play the favored Tigers close, only to be undone by Odell Beckham Jr.'s punt return for a touchdown that was eerily reminiscent of Billy Cannon's Halloween night runback against Ole Miss more than half a century earlier.
Today’s game
NO. 3 OLE MISS AT NO. 24 LSU
WHEN 7 p.m. Central
WHERE Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge
RECORDS Ole Miss 7-0, 4-0 SEC; LSU 6-2, 2-2
LINE Ole Miss by 3½
SERIES LSU leads 58-40-4.
KEY MATCHUP LSU’s running game, which gained more than 300 yards last week, against Ole Miss’ defensive front, which has helped the Rebels rank second in the SEC and sixth nationally in rushing defense with 97.1 yards allowed per game.
TELEVISION ESPN
"It was, at that point, a moral victory," Freeze recalled. "We go down there in Year 1 and compete. Obviously, we did not pull it off, but we had a lot of fun. We don't talk about going to play anybody close right now. We want to get a plan together and prepare like we're going to win."
All Ole Miss (7-0, 4-0 SEC) has done this season is win while joining rival Mississippi State atop the most powerful division in college football. Four of the top five teams in The Associated Press poll play in the SEC West, a division that also includes No. 24 LSU, the Rebels' opponent tonight.
Ole Miss has one of the nation's best defenses through the first half of the season. The Rebels are giving up an average of 10.6 points per game, which ranks first in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and they're tied for the national lead with 15 interceptions.
Ole Miss has scored four defensive touchdowns. Freshman defensive end Marquis Haynes has emerged as one of the program's big-play threats, recording a team-high 7 1/2 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks.
Freeze's offense has taken a more conservative approach because the team's defense is playing at such a high level. Senior quarterback Bo Wallace has adapted well to the new strategy and shed his inconsistent reputation in the process. He hasn't been intercepted in four SEC games and has thrown for 1,899 yards with 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions this season.
The rise of Ole Miss as an SEC contender is often attributed to a stellar sophomore class that includes starters like receiver Laquon Treadwell, defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and safety Tony Conner.
Those guys are good, but the Rebels also are getting elite production from several seniors. Wallace has been exceptional under center, while Senquez Golson and 2013 All-American Cody Prewitt have anchored the secondary. Golson leads the SEC with seven interceptions.
The Tigers (6-2, 2-2) are underdogs in this matchup for the first time in 15 years but are playing with rising confidence and are motivated by revenge. One year ago, LSU was in contention to win the SEC West before being tripped up by the Rebels in Oxford. Several key players from that 2013 LSU squad have left for the NFL, but those who remain aren't shy about embracing the concept of payback.
"It means a lot to this team to actually get back that game we lost last year," said Travin Dural, who leads LSU receivers with seven touchdown catches. "Being that we're such a young team and we're coming along every week, a victory this week would help tremendously."
LSU lost its first two SEC games against Mississippi State and Auburn, falling out of the national rankings for the first time in six years as a result. But the Tigers responded with a close victory at struggling Florida, followed by a 41-3 demolition of a Kentucky team that arrived in Death Valley at 5-1 overall and with designs on the SEC East title.
LSU's ground game piled up 303 yards against Kentucky and averages 220.9 yards per game. The Tigers use four physical running backs, led by freshman Leonard Fournette, who has a team-high 544 yards and seven touchdowns rushing.
Seniors Kenny Hilliard and Terrence Magee and freshman Darrel Williams have scored three or more touchdowns each on the ground.
The Tigers gave up more than 560 yards in each of their first two SEC games but have improved dramatically since. Their victory over Kentucky marked the first time LSU held an SEC opponent to only one field goal since 2011, when LSU beat Ole Miss 52-3.
"We've been using those two games to build up our confidence and come together as a team," Dural said of the past two victories. "We're not the same team we were at Auburn a few weeks ago. We've grown a lot, and we're doing a lot of things better."
Sports on 10/25/2014