by Kent Lowe, Sr. Associate Sports Information Director
OXFORD, Miss. – LSU will go after its ninth win of the season here on Saturday when the eight-ranked (BCS) Tigers return to conference play against Ole Miss.
Kickoff for the contest on the “SEC on CBS” nationally-televised game is just after 2:30 p.m. from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The game will also serve as the second “Magnolia Bowl” which was created in the spring of 2008 by the Student Governments from both schools in an effort to enhance the spirit of the football rivalry between the two schools.
LSU is 8-2 and 4-2 in the SEC West, while the Rebels are 7-3 and 3-3 in the league. LSU is 3-1 on the road this year. The teams are meeting for the 98th time with the Tigers holding a 55-38-4 lead in the series that dates back to 1894.
The Rebels snapped LSU’s six-game winning streak in the series with a 31-13 victory last year in Tiger Stadium, but LSU has still won six of the last seven and seven of the last nine against the Rebels. LSU has also won four straight in Oxford, which includes a 41-24 victory in 2007. LSU is 8-5-1 all-time in games played in Oxford.
“We’re into a two-game season,” said LSU Coach Les Miles. “Certainly each game will be a different challenge. This Ole Miss team is a very, very talented team. I think coach (Houston) Nutt does a great job preparing them. I think they will come to play. I think their offense with Dexter McCluster, Jevan Sneed and Brandon Bolden is a very talented offense. They can run it and throw it. They’ve very balanced. Jevan Snead, in my opinion, can do everything that you want a quarterback to do. The combination of Dexter McCluster’s and Brandon Bolden’s power and speed and perimeter and tough-to-touch, and they are a very, very talented offense.
“Their defense is third in the conference in sacks. They’re allowing just 15 points a game with 313 total yards. They are a very talented defense. They play a very physical brand of football.
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LSU GameDay Info LSU at Ole Miss, TV: CBS Kickoff: 2:35 p.m. CT Driving Directions (Baton Rouge to Oxford, Miss.) Ole Miss' GameDay Homepage includes stadium policies, parking, and other details about Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. |
It is expected that quarterback Jordan Jefferson will return to the starting lineup for the contest after sitting out the end of the Alabama game and all of the Louisiana Tech game with a sprained ankle, a game LSU had to come from behind to win over Louisiana Tech, 24-16.
“We understand this is going to be a big contest,” said Miles. “We are looking forward to it. Our football team looks forward to playing in these games. We’re looking forward to getting back into the league. We are looking forward to getting some of our nicked guys back. We’re really ready to look to the last two games of the season.”
Jefferson’s favorite target, Brandon LaFell, continues to close in on career marks and will have another opportunity this Saturday to move ever closer to first in career touchdowns. He enters the Ole Miss game with 23 receiving touchdowns, just three out of first. In addition, LaFell ranked sixth in receiving yards with 2,285.
The Tigers close out the regular season next week (Nov. 28) against Arkansas in Tiger Stadium in an ESPN primetime game at 6 p.m.
