These are three keys to victory for the LSU Tigers against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.
The LSU Tigers have one of the most important games of the season on deck for Saturday night against the Ole Miss Rebels. The lead-up to this game has been absurd, but it's almost finally time to settle it on the football field.
This game has been mostly a toss-up, with the Tigers the slight favorite, so LSU will need to bring their A-game to win. Here are a couple of keys to victory for this matchup:
Don't Let Emotions Get The Best Of You
There are too many off-the-field storylines in this game to list them all, but the bottom line is that it will be a raucous environment, with a lot of bad blood in the stands and between the teams.
Lane Kiffin will need to make sure that his guys control their emotions, and not make the simple mistakes that can prove costly in tight games. It's a balancing act of being motivated, bringing energy and not crossing a line.
Win Turnover Battle
Heading into this game, the Rebels are -2 in the turnover margin. They've forced one interception, while throwing two and losing a fumble. Only one of those interceptions was from Trinidad Chambliss, though, so they could also really look at it as being -1. Either way, their defense has only forced one, which is a good sign for the Tigers.
It has been a very different story for LSU, who actually does sit at -1. Sam Leavitt throwing those three interceptions, along with the Tre Wilson fumble against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, has erased a lot of the great work that the defense has done. They have lost the ball five times while forcing four turnovers.
Stretch The Field
Pete Golding's defense, through two weeks, has shown that it will let big plays happen. The Louisville Cardinals had a couple of 30+ yard runs and a pair of 50+ yard passes. Even the Charlotte 49ers were able to generate some explosive plays.
As important as the run game will be for the Tigers, they need their wide receivers to generate some momentum as well. The production through the air has been a little lackluster to start. They found a bit of a rhythm against the Bulldogs, but that's a defense they should be able to do that against even more easily.
Leavitt's new shoulder injury doesn't seem like it will keep him off the field, but we'll have to see how it affects him overall, if he does play.
