Rebels and Tigers mix it up in SEC action

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11/19/2008 - Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - SEC foes will collide in Baton Rouge this weekend, as the 18th-ranked LSU Tigers welcome the Ole Miss Rebels to town. Both teams are 3-3 in league play and figure to produce a highly competitive ball game.

Ole Miss has won its last three games to improve to 6-4, and while the team is already eligible for a bowl invite, a road victory over LSU would certainly improve the program's postseason prospects. The Rebels took a break from SEC play last weekend to post a 59-0 decision over UL-Monroe. First-year head coach Houston Nutt has his team playing with a great deal of confidence, and in addition to the fact that Ole Miss is the only team in the nation to beat Florida this season, all three league losses have come by seven points or fewer.

As for LSU, it came out completely flat against Troy last weekend, and the Homecoming crowd looked on in disbelief as the Tigers fell behind by a score of 31-3 in the second half. What ensued what the greatest comeback in program history, as Les Miles' team fought all the way back for a 40-31 victory. LSU, which hasn't won back-to-back games since September, was fresh off a heart- breaking loss to top-ranked Alabama, so a setback against Troy would have been devastating. At 7-3, the team is in good position to get a solid bowl bid.

LSU holds a 55-37-4 series advantage over Ole Miss, including six straight victories over the Rebels.

Ole Miss is scoring 29.4 ppg to go along with 391.4 total ypg, solid production from an offense lacking noticeable stars. The team is generating 4.9 yards per rushing attempt, and rather than rely on one player to carry the load, the Rebels have three men with at least 400 rushing yards. Dexter McCluster, who has run for 457 yards and four scores, leads the team in receptions with 34 to date. Shay Hodge has only caught 31 passes, but seven of those grabs have gone for scores. Jevan Snead has completed 53.5 percent of his passes for 1,983 yards and 17 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.

Snead was able to pad his stats last weekend against UL-Monroe, as he threw for three touchdowns on just six completions and ran for a pair of scores. Cordera Eason paced the ground attack with 106 yards and a touchdown, while Mike Wallace finished with 111 yards on just two catches, including an 88-yard reception. "Once again, we challenged the offensive line about being physical," said Eason after the game. "Coach said he was going to come out and set a tone by running the ball seven or eight times to open up the drive, and he held onto his word."

Opponents are scoring 20.0 ppg against Ole Miss, which is yielding 328.6 total ypg. The Rebels have been strong against the run, limiting foes to 3.0 ypc and 103.4 ypg. Unfortunately, they have yielded their fair share of big pass plays. Ole Miss has done a good job of getting off the field, as opponents are making good on just 33 percent of their third down conversion attempts. Jamarca Sanford leads the Rebels with 71 total tackles, and Peria Jerry is tops with 10.5 TFLs.

Ole Miss pitched the shutout against UL-Monroe last time out, limiting the Warhawks to 131 total yards. The Rebels permitted just 2.1 yards per rushing attempt and allowed only 7-of-18 passes that they faced to be completed. Ole Miss intercepted two passes and limited their overmatched opponents to 3-of-15 success on third down conversion attempts. "For the seniors, it was the biggest game we've had since we've been here," said triumphant defensive lineman Chris Bowers. "Getting bowl eligible is what we wanted to do, and we went out and did it."

"That doesn't happen a lot," said LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee after the thrilling victory over Troy. "I've never been part of a comeback that big. That shows you a lot about our team tonight. Not one time in our minds did we think we were going to lose this game." Lee threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, something that has happened to the signal caller multiple times this season. Still, he remained focused and finished the game with 216 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell in the second half that got the crowd back into the game. Charles Scott ran for 90 yards and a touchdown, and Quinn Johnson added a pair of short rushing scores. LSU is averaging 32.1 ppg this season on 394.2 total ypg.

The Tigers are posting 4.7 yards per rushing attempt and 12.8 yards per pass completion, proof that they have found success via both means of attack. Scott has been tremendous, rushing for 1,071 yards and 14 touchdowns while churning out 5.9 ypc. Lee has connected on 54.1 percent of his passes for 1,824 yards and 14 scores, but he has been intercepted 15 times. LaFell has made 55 catches for 772 yards and seven touchdowns and is clearly Lee's go-to guy.

Coach Miles credits his defense for beginning the turnaround in the second half against Troy. "With our defense, it was three and out, and our defense got turnovers," said Miles. "Our defense showed just great effort and energy." Sure, the Trojans managed to rack up 380 total yards in the clash, including 316 yards through the air, but a closer look at the box score reveals that Troy ran 89 offensive plays. The Tigers did not allow a single point over the final 26 minutes of the tilt, key to the victory. LSU was expected to play dominant defense this season, and that simply has not been the case. The Tigers are yielding 24.9 ppg and 311.1 total ypg this season, and while those numbers aren't horrendous, they also aren't good enough to lift the team to elite status. Harry Coleman leads the Tigers with 55 total tackles, and Rahim Alem has posted six sacks.