Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin (left) watches from the sideline during the Rebels' 55-49 win over LSU on Sept. 30, 2023, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. Petre Thomas / Imagn ImagesOXFORD, Miss. — In LSU’s last trip to Oxford, in 2023, the Tigers scored 49 points — and still lost. Tigers Coach Brian Kelly was direct this week about what has changed since that shootout.
“We bring a defense with us,” Kelly said.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, where No. 11 Ole Miss (4-0, 2-0 SEC) will host No. 4 LSU (4-0, 1-0 SEC). The game will air nationally on ABC and stream live on the ESPN app.
The Tigers arrive in Oxford unbeaten at 4-0 and with a rebuilt unit that Kelly says is “much more cohesive.” The difference, he explained, comes from roster upgrades and experience. “The roster is better, the players are better,” Kelly said. “Those were good, tough kids that played hard for us, but you know, we’re a little short in some areas.”
The improvement was obvious in last week’s 56-10 win over Southeastern Louisiana. “Our defense gave up, I think, 31 yards,” Kelly said of the first half. It was the kind of suffocating effort LSU didn’t show in Oxford in 2023, when explosive plays carried Ole Miss to one of the wildest Magnolia Bowl wins in memory.
Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin said he sees the upgrades too — particularly in the secondary. “Three of the four secondary are portal guys. So they’ve done a great job with that,” Kiffin said. “They’ve heavily financially invested in the portal and made that decision. That’s no secret. Coach Kelly talked about that, how much money they’ve spent. And it shows. Those are three guys that were heavily recruited and probably the three most expensive portal DBs in the market. And they got them all.”
For Kiffin, that investment makes Saturday the biggest test his offense has faced this season.
“These guys are really good. They’re loaded on defense and they’re the best they’ve been on defense since we’ve played them,” he said. “Obviously with the acquisitions that we talked about, and really shutting down the run… this will be the biggest test by far of the season.”
Kelly said this rivalry usually comes down to the final moments — “certainly the last couple of years it was decided on the last plays” — and this year, he believes LSU is built to finish differently.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss will look to extend its unbeaten start and keep its home winning streak alive.
“It’s a big challenge,” Kiffin said. “And we’re excited for it."