National Analyst Logs Prediction for LSU Football vs. Ole Miss Rebels Week 5 Clash

Brian Kelly and Co. will square off against the Rebels on Saturday, stage set for a Top-15 clash in Oxford.

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No. 4 LSU will take the field at Vaught Hemingway Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a Top-15 SEC showdown against Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels.

Brian Kelly and Co. enter the matchup with a 4-0 record - the program's best start to the season under his watch - with an opportunity to make a statement in Oxford.

The Bayou Bengals have captured victories over both Clemson and Florida across the first four weeks of the season, but the competition level will once again rise for Kelly's crew.

“Now, we’re into the SEC. We know the opposition each week will certainly test us. But now you lean on your foundational principles," Kelly said on Monday. "You lean on what your process is and how you go to work every day, your habits, the way you prepare.

"And at times you’re going to have to be leaning on guys that haven’t started. This tests your depth within your program; all those things will come into play as we move into the next couple of months.

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“Ole Miss is certainly a rivalry game playing for the Magnolia Bowl Trophy. I think everybody knows this is a game that goes way back, and certainly the last couple of years, it was decided on the last plays of the game. Ole Miss is an outstanding football team.

"Coach Lane does a great job, and they have an established winning culture, certainly an offense that has put up incredible numbers offensively."

With game day inching closer, college football analyst Josh Pate evaluated the matchup on Tuesday's episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show.

Josh Pate's Take: Dogfight in Oxford

“I regret to inform you the thing is happening again for LSU,” he said. “31st in passing yards per game, 112th in rushing yards per game. So once again, we’re gonna do this, huh? The difference is they’ve got a really good defense they can lean on so it hasn’t cost them a game yet.

"Garrett Nussmeier’s been less than 100% and they’re still throwing the ball much better than their running the ball. I don’t get it. There shouldn’t be an issue there, but it is and the big issue this weekend is that is absolutely how you attack Ole Miss.

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“Ole Miss has the 122nd run defense in the country and it may not even matter because LSU hasn’t been able to run the ball. So LSU needs to run the ball here. Please, if ever it shows up, make it show up this week.

"…What are you asking Garrett Nussmeier to do? Last year, I thought they asked him to do an unfair amount of things. Hopefully he’s not asked to shoulder an unfair amount of the load again Saturday.”

Ole Miss has revealed the program will start Division II All-American quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. What can the Tigers expect from the Ole Miss offense?

“Lane Kiffin, what does he see in this matchup against this LSU secondary?” Pate asked. “They had 15 designed QB runs last week with Trinidad Chambliss playing. I expect that to be baked into the game plan again here. LSU, 43rd pass D, 10th rushing D.

"You would think in the preseason looking at the fact they had to face Cade Klubnik, they gotta face DJ Lagway a few weeks later, you would think by the time they play Ole Miss, they will have faced two really good passing attacks. Nope.

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“Now, could be that LSU’s the common denominator there. LSU just makes you look foolish. If that’s the case, we need it again here. I need full American hero Blake Baker mode from the defense.”

Pate's Prediction: Give Him The Rebels

“Give me Ole Miss to win, give me Ole Miss to cover,” he said. “There’s still some issues with this LSU team. They’ve been masked a little bit because they’ve won games, which is very good.

"I also fully believe in the theory that it’s possible for a team to have issues early in the year and get them worked out as the season goes on.

“Sometimes that happens like with Florida last year, but it was too late because they had already lost a bunch of games by the time they figured it out.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

"If you can play defense like LSU has so far, maybe you don’t have to lose. Maybe you keep playing ugly and then you just end up winning.”

No. 4 LSU and No. 13 Ole Miss will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT at Vaught Hemingway Stadium on Saturday afternoon in a critical SEC matchup.

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