Rebels Prepare For Rival #5 LSU

OXFORD, Miss (Ole Miss Athletics/WCBI) — Head coach Matt Luke and offensive coordinator Phil Long preview the Rebels’ upcoming road trip at #5 LSU.

Longo said the Tigers’ defensively are “every bit as talented as Alabama.”

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This game marks the 107th all-time meeting between the Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers dating back to 1894.
• LSU is Ole Miss’ second-most played opponent behind Mississippi State, whom the Rebels will play for the 115th time on Nov. 22.
• LSU holds a 61-41-4 advantage in the series, 40-24-1 in Baton Rouge.
• The home team has won five of the last six meetings.
• Since the rivals started playing for the Magnolia Bowl trophy in 2008, LSU holds a 6-4 edge.
• Ole Miss is 165-87-7 (.651 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
• The Ole Miss defense has forced at least two turnovers in three straight games for the first time since 2014.
• QB Jordan Ta’amu is top 10 nationally in multiple categories, including: passing yards (1,359), passing yards per game (339.8) and passing yards per completion (16.99) … Ta’amu ranks 15th in the NCAA in passing TDs (10) and 14th in passing efficiency (176.9).
• RB Scottie Phillips ranks second in the SEC and 12th nationally with five rushing touchdowns … He ranks 11th in the NCAA in total rushing yards (467).
• Phillips is averaging 7.53 yards per carry, first in the SEC and 10th in the NCAA.
• DE Markel Winters ranks second in the SEC and seventh nationally with 1.17 sacks per game.
• DB Zedrick Woods and LB Mohamed Sanogo both rank ninth in the SEC with 6.8 tackles per game.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH MATT LUKE 
Matt Luke (Ole Miss, 2000) is in his 11th season at Ole Miss and second season at the helm, taking the reins of his alma mater as the 38th head coach in program history. He was born a Rebel as his family has ties to Ole Miss that span three generations. During his 24 years as a player and coach at the collegiate level, Luke has risen through the ranks while learning from a number of successful veteran coaches. He has worked alongside national champion Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and former Ole Miss head coach Tommy Tuberville, among others. On the field, he has mentored 20 all-league selections as well as All-Americans and first-round draft picks Laremy Tunsil and Laken Tomlinson. Luke, a four-year center for the Rebels (1995-98), spent five seasons as the team’s co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach before being promoted to interim head coach for the 2017 season. During his first stop in Oxford (2002-05), he served four seasons coaching the Ole Miss tight ends and offensive line under Cutcliffe.

LSU HEAD COACH ED ORGERON
Ed Orgeron (Northwestern State, 1984) is in his third year – second full year – as LSU’s head coach and has a 19-6 record with the Tigers, including a 4-0 mark so far this season. Orgeron, who led the Tigers to a 9-4 record last season and a 5-2 mark as interim coach over the final two months of the 2016 season, was named LSU’s permanent head football coach on Nov. 26, 2016. Orgeron, a native of Larose, Louisiana, is LSU’s 33rd head football coach, and the first Louisiana native to serve as head coach of the Tigers since West Monroe native Jerry Stovall held the position for three seasons in the early 1980s. Orgeron, who has also served as head coach at Ole Miss and Southern Cal, is 20-6 in his past 26 games as a head coach. Overall, Orgeron has a 35-33 overall mark as a collegiate head coach, including a 10-25 mark with the Rebels from 2005-07. Of LSU’s six losses under Orgeron, three have come by six points or less and two others came against the nation’s No. 1 ranked team. Furthermore, of Orgeron’s 19 LSU wins, 11 have come against SEC foes and 15 have been by double-digits.

LSU SCOUTING REPORT
The LSU Tigers currently sit at 4-0 overall, 1-0 in SEC play and are ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll. LSU is coming off a 38-21 win over Louisiana Tech in which saw the Tigers rush for 218 yards and five TDs on the ground. Two of LSU’s four wins have come against teams ranked in the top 10, including a 22-21 win at No. 7 Auburn to open SEC play. The Tigers opened the 2018 season with a 33-17 victory over No. 8 Miami at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The LSU offense averages 352.5 yards of offense per game, with 169.8 yards coming on the ground and 182.8 through the air. Joe Burrow, a transfer from Ohio State, will lead the Tiger offense under center. Burrow has thrown for 751 yards (182.8 ypg) yards and a completion rate of 49.1 percent, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Burrow’s favorite target is sophomore wideout Justin Jefferson. On the season, Jefferson has hauled in 13 catches for 195 yards. Nick Brossette leads the way for a dangerous Tiger rushing attack. Brossette has rushed 83 times for 409 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Clyde Edwards-Helaire has also rushed for 208 yards and four scores on the season. On the other side of the ball, LSU ranks eighth in the SEC in total defense (335.3) and second in the SEC and ninth nationally in rush defense (91.3). Sophomore CB Greddy Williams leads the SEC and ranks 10th nationally with two interceptions on the season. Outside linebacker Michael Divinity, Jr. is third in the SEC with 1.7 tackles for loss per game.  Kicker Cole Tracy is 9-of-10 in field goal attempts, including two makes of 50 yards or more. Sophomore punter Zach Von Rosenberg ranks third in the NCAA with 48.0 yards per punt.

REBELS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
• Ole Miss is 71-157-2 all-time versus ranked teams.
• Ole Miss went 1-3 against top-25 opponents last year, with a win over No. 14 Mississippi State as well as losses to No. 1 Alabama, No. 12 Auburn and No. 24 LSU.
• Ole Miss is 0-1 this season vs. ranked opponents, with a 62-7 loss to top-ranked Alabama to open up SEC play.

LOUISIANA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features four players who hail from Louisiana: LB Zikerrion Baker (Mooringsport), LB Josh Clarke (Jefferson), OL Peyton Cox (Metairie), and QB Jason Pellerin (New Iberia).

REBEL-TIGER CONNECTIONS
• Ole Miss OL Sean Rawlings was teammates with LSU sophomore OL Saahdiq Charles at Madison-Ridgeland HS in Jackson, Mississippi.
• Junior DT Ross Donelly and LSU’s freshman OL Austin Deculus both attended Cy-Fair HS in Cypress, Texas.
• Sophomore wideout Jacob Carter and LSU’s Cole Smith are both from Pontotoc, Mississippi, and went to Pontotoc HS.
• OL Peyton Cox was teammates with the Tigers’ LB Hunter Faust at Jesuit HS in Metairie, Louisiana.
• Ole Miss’ Tariqious Tisdale and Hal Northern played with LSU’s Damien Lewis at Northwest Mississippi CC last season.
• LSU coach Ed Orgeron was Ole Miss’ head coach from 2005-07, compiling a 10-25 overall record.
• Ole Miss strength coach Paul Jackson was an assistant strength coach at LSU from 2007-10.