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It was announced this past week that head coach Ed Orgeron would be relieved of his duties at the end of the season. However, we still have 5 games to go for LSU and this is a big one if they wish to reach bowl eligibility. For the Rebels after a close call in Knoxville last week they may be without Heisman contender Matt Corral which could lead to some intrigue.
How to watch LSU VS Ole Miss
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Watch Online: CBS Sports App, CBSSports.com
Betting Odds
(via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Spread: Ole Miss -7.5 | LSU +
Moneyline: Ole Miss -335 | LSU +260
Total: 77
Another potential shootout involving Ole Miss is coming to your television screen this Saturday. This time it’s against the LSU Tigers, who may have found a running game last week. Tyrion Davis-Price took 36 carries for 287 yards and the Tigers in total had 321 yards. That turn of events could be massive while taking on the explosive Ole Miss Rebels no matter who starts at quarterback. The bad news for LSU is their defense is still atrocious and full of injuries and while Florida isn’t a bad offense Ole Miss is an entirely different animal. The Rebels come in 5th in the entire country in scoring averaging 43.7 points a game. However, if Max Johnson can make some throws and LSU avoids ugly turnovers this could be quite a game in Oxford.
Of course, the big story coming into this game is the health of Matt Corral. After running the ball 30 times for 195 yards, he was clearly in a lot of pain last week in Knoxville and there are some concerns about if he will be available. Kirkhead Dent is listed as the backup and he has thrown all of four passes this year. There is an alternative option though as Lane Kiffen could go to John Rhys Plumlee if Corral isn’t healthy. Two years ago during LSU’s magical run to a National Championship, Plumlee ran for 212 yards on just 21 carries and four touchdowns, as Ole Miss gave LSU all they could handle in the running game (of course after falling behind 28-0.) This LSU defense isn’t nearly as good as it was that year and neither is the offense. No one expects the Rebel offense to be as explosive as it has been if Corral can’t go but they should be able to move the ball no matter who is under center.
What makes this matchup even more intriguing is, “Now that we know what the fate of Orgeron is, how will his players respond?” When the writing was on the wall last week they put up their best performance of the season by far against the Gators. Now that the information has come out about his future, will his players continue to play hard for him? Essentially Orgeron is now an interim head coach and we all know how well that has played out over the past decade or so.
Expect a lot of points against two mediocre defenses and if last years game was any indication, a 53-48 back and forth battle, then we could be in for a good one in Vaught Hemingway Stadium.