Three Reasons Why LSU Football Will Defeat the Ole Miss Rebels in Massive Matchup

Brian Kelly and Co. will hit the road to Oxford in Week 5, square off against a fiery Ole Miss squad.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

No. 4 LSU (4-0, 1-0 SEC) will travel to Oxford in Week 5 for a critical Southeastern Conference showdown against Lane Kiffin and the No. 13 ranked Ole Miss Rebels.

Brian Kelly and Co. will enter the matchup riding a four-game winning streak with wins over Clemson, Louisiana Tech, Florida and Southeastern Louisiana, but the competition-level will rise once again on Saturday at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

"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," Kelly said.

"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."

What must LSU do on Saturday to walk out of Oxford with a win to keep the strong start to the 2025 season rolling?

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Three Reasons LSU Will Win: Week 5 Edition

No. 1: LSU's Revamped Defense Wreaking Havoc

The last time the LSU Tigers traveled to Oxford, Jayden Daniels and the offense annihilated the Rebels defense after dropping 49 points with over 600 yards of total offense.

The issue in 2023 was that the LSU defense gave up 56 points and over 700 yards of total offense in a historic game at Vaught Hemingway Stadium with the Rebels coming out on top with a win.

Ole Miss will enter Saturday's matchup at No. 9 in the country in total offense with the Rebels averaging a whopping 543 yards per game and No. 12 in scoring averaging - slightly under 45 points a contest.

Defensive coordinator Blake Baker has transformed the LSU defense in 2025 with multiple new pieces that have the Tigers among the top in the country with the unit ranking No. 4 in the SEC in total defense and No. 17 overall, allowing opposing offenses to gain 246 yards per game.

Courtesy of LSU Football.

LSU has thrived in keeping opponents off the scoreboard - ranking No. 9 in America while allowing an average of 9.25 points per game. 

The LSU defense has the edge in this one with the Tigers looking to once again wreak havoc on Saturday against the Rebels.

No. 2: Garrett Nussmeier Bouncing Back

Across the first three weeks of the season, LSU's starting signal-caller struggled to get in a groove while dealing with a nagging torso injury.

Leading into Week 4 against Southeastern Louisiana, Nussmeier was 69-for-106 on passing attempts with 689 yards to go with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The 689 passing yards placed him at No. 9 in the SEC.

Fast forward to Saturday night in Baton Rouge and it was a different story.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Nussmeier led the Bayou Bengals to six consecutive touchdown drives with the Tigers taking a 35-0 lead at halftime while keeping a foot on the gas through the first possession of the second half.

LSU's QB1 ended the night going 25-for-31 through the air with 273 passing yards and four total touchdowns. Of the six incompletions, five were drops by the receivers. Nussmeier was nearly flawless.

With Nussmeier getting back in a groove, look for the Tigers' signal-caller to remain dialed in come Saturday at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

No. 3: Disciplined, Experienced Defense

Let's pan back to the defense once more for the LSU Tigers. Kelly and Co. added 18 newcomers via the NCAA Transfer Portal with multiple immediate impact weapons coming on the defensive side of the ball.

LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane comes in as the highest-graded defensive back in America with the chance to continue carrying his momentum into a critical SEC matchup against multiple talented Ole Miss Rebels wideouts - De'Zhaun Stribling, Harrison Wallace III, Cayden Lee, etc.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

In the trenches is where the Tigers can make a difference with LSU's front four shining across the first four games of the season with Jack Pyburn, Bernard Gooden, Dominick McKinley, and Patrick Payton, among others, handling business.

The Ole Miss offensive line has been "average" across the first four games of the season [PFF grades]:

LT Diego Pounds - 58.1
LG Delano Townsend - 60.7
C Brycen Sanders - 56.1
RG Patrick Kutas - 56.1
RT Jayden Williams - 58.9

LSU's front four has the chance to wreak havoc and make the Ole Miss offense operate in a different capacity compared to the program's first four matchups against Georgia State, Kentucky, Arkansas and Tulane.

No. 4 LSU and No. 13 Ole Miss will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC this Saturday afternoon in a Top-15 clash at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

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