As of late, the Ole Miss Rebels have been struggling to become the team that they have the potential to be. Despite a hot 3-0 start, they have lost their past three games. The Rebels were outscored 96 to 60 through the string of losses, all of which losses were to SEC competitors. The copious amounts of young talent on their roster appears promising, but they have yet to put it all together. Once they can get into a rhythm, Ole Miss can finally blossom into the SEC powerhouse that they once were.
After their three recent losses to SEC competition, Ole Miss faces the daunting task of taking down LSU. As of now, LSU still has a legitimate chance to dethrone Alabama as not only the SEC East champion, but the champions of the entire conference. The dominant offense of LSU, led by Zach Mettenberger, is a well-rounded, pro-style offense that has dismantled their competition thus far. Ole Miss, on the other hand, is a mess. Their offense has all the pieces sans the most important of all: a quarterback.
Bo Wallace is, at best, an unpredictable playmaker with limited talent as a passer. His athleticism gives him more leniency and grace than most other quarterbacks would receive. The athletic ability gives a dim glimmer of hope for him to a superstar that he has yet to fulfill. To be fair, he has been more protective of the football and is on pace to throw much fewer interceptions than he had last season. Still, he is not a competent passer. His 59% of completion is subpar. It is especially disappointing because he has multiple weapons at his disposal. Donte Moncrief and Laquon Treadwell are tall, dominant wide receivers that quarterbacks dream to have by their side. Out of the backfield, Jeff Scott is not only a solid runner, but he serves as a threat in the passing game as well.
On defense, Ole Miss has tragically lost their phenomenon of a recruit, Robert Nkemdiche, for a few games, or possibly the entire season, to a hamstring injury. To this point, Nkemdiche was the identity of their defense. Veterans CJ Johnson, Charles Sawyer, and Denzel Nkemdiche, Robert’s older brother, will have to further up the ante and perform at an even higher level. Not only will they have to play at a higher rate, but their leadership must shine through as well.
In all reality, LSU is clearly Ole Miss’ superior, but any team can be beaten on any given day. Ole Miss certainly has all the pieces to form a masterful puzzle, but they have yet to piece it together. The key to victory will be slowing the heavy pass rush that LSU consistently brings. If Ole Miss can do so and give Wallace the time that he so desperately needs, winning this game becomes more feasible than it appears. Although, their most demanding issue will be shutting down LSU’s wide receiver tandem of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. With Ole Miss’ above average pass rush, the defensive backs will have more leniency for error, but must still play top notch football. LSU is not a team to be taken lightly, but neither is Ole Miss. With a win in this game, Ole Miss may finally find their groove.