Three LSU Football Players to Watch at No. 12 Ole Miss
LSU goes head to head with one of the top offenses in the country so it'll be imperative that the Tigers execute on offense. A point of emphasis early could be to control the clock and keep Matt Corral and the Rebels' offense off the field for as much time as possible.
The Tigers will also need to figure out a way to slow down Corral, Lane Kiffin and company on defense. Down seven defensive starters, LSU was able to temporarily subdue Florida a week ago, allowing the offense to build an early lead. Here are three players we'll be keeping a close eye on against Ole Miss.
Jaray Jenkins (WR)
Jenkins was one of the breakout receivers in 2020 as a consistent force in the middle of the field. But this season was a little bit of a rocky start until his three touchdown performance against the Gators.
The veteran receiver was lost in the shuffle behind Kayshon Boutte and the freshmen receivers who all have had moments to shine this season. But Jenkins is the veteran on this group and with Boutte now down for the remainder of the year with an ankle injury, he figures to step into a more prominent role with this offense.
"When I'm on the field, I'm just trying to get the victory, trying to help my teammates," Jenkins said. "If it's blocking for the running backs in the run game or for the receiver that's got the ball, I'm always doing something for the man next to me."
Of course LSU really made it a point of emphasis to break out the running attack with a second straight magnificent performance out of Tyrion Davis-Price. The passing game looks to still be finding its footing without one of the best receivers in the country so having a calming presence like Jenkins in the rotation will only help.
Marlon Martinez (OL)
Martinez filled in for an injured Chasen Hines at right guard against Florida and may have taken over the job based on his performance against the Gators.
The second year offensive lineman has been mostly a rotational piece for this group over the last two seasons but on Saturday, received an expanded role and took advantage. He, along with walk on tight end Jack Mashburn, were continually opening up holes on that right counter run play that just kept on catching Florida off guard.
"I got the utmost confidence in him, it's who we are on this offensive line room and on this team," center Liam Shanahan said. "We really try to embody the next man up mentality and everyone being held to the same standards. He was able to do his job."
Facing an Ole Miss team with a lot of firepower on the other end, keeping the ball on offense and controlling the clock will be a priority in this game. The only way to do that is establish a running attack like the Tigers did last weekend against Florida. Martinez as well as Mashburn should be a part of that gameplan.
Glen Logan (DT)
Logan saw his first action of the 2021 season against Florida and showed why his presence in the middle was so missed. He along with Neil Farrell and Jaquelin Roy dominated the interior, completely shutting off the Florida rushing attack early and forcing the Gators to move the ball down field through the pass.
He recorded just three tackles on the afternoon but Logan's impact won't be shown in the stats. The front seven held Emory Jones largely in tact from a running perspective as the Gators rushed for under four yards a carry. Logan's relationship and on field chemistry with Farrell allowed his running mate to have success as well, with Farrell combining for seven tackles and 0.5 tackles for a loss.
"We're always around each other, that's one of my best friends on the team," Logan said. "We just make each other better and it comes from film study and playing off each other, making each other better. We're older and smarter as players so being back out there with him made it fun."
Ole Miss quarterback and Heisman frontrunner Matt Corral is coming off a game where he rushed for 195 yards against Tennessee and has one of the better arms in the country as well. It'll be an immensely difficult offense to prepare for and having some stability up front will help the back half of the defense as well.
What has become clear with this defense is that usually we don't know what to expect from week to week but if this unit is clicking, even down seven defensive starters, there's talent to keep the Tigers in every game they play.
