Ole Miss at LSU Football Picks & Odds

Written November 21, 2008 by Jack Jones

Two of the better teams in the SEC clash this Saturday as the LSU Tigers host the Mississippi Rebels. Ole Miss has put together an impressive season. Despite being just 6-4, they are the only team to have defeat the Florida Gators and they have played some of the best teams in the conference down to the wire. LSU is 7-3 on the season, but all three of their losses have come in conference play and the Tigers nearly unravelled last week against Troy at home. LSU was able to mount the comeback and walk away with the victory, but Tigers fans are more than a little concerned about the state of their program right now. LSU is a 3.5 point favorite over Ole Miss this week with the total set at 54.5 points.

Ole Miss has an above average offense that is impressive considering the level of talent they’ve played against his year. They are averaging just under 30 points per game and are racking up 391 total yards per game. The Rebs have three running backs with over 400 yards on the season and, as a unit, they are averaging nearly 5 yards per carry. The passing game has been a bit inconsistent, with starting QB Jevan Snead completing only 53 percent of his passes, tossing 17 touchdowns, but 11 interceptions against the stiff SEC defenses they’ve faced.

The defensive numbers for Ole Miss are great, again taking into consideration the level of competition. They are allowing just 20 points per game and under 330 yards of total offense. They’ve done the job in tough situations all season, limiting foes to just a 33 percent conversion rate on third down. They’ll need everything to fall into place this weekend on the road against LSU to walk away with a victory.

It’s been an up and down year for LSU, but their offense has remained productive. The Tigers average 32 points per game and nearly 395 yards of total offense per game. They aren’t playing a particularly intimidating Mississippi defense this week, but they’ll need to take care of the ball if they want to avoid another letdown on their home turf. The LSU Tigers are 3.5 point favorites at home on Saturday.

This isn’t your typical LSU defense as the Tigers have not performed as well this season as they have in recent memory. They are allowing 25 points per game and 311 yards of total offense. These numbers are nothing to be too concerned about, but they are far from the dominating defensive numbers this unit has posted in the past. The run defense will need to be sharp this week if they want to stop Ole Miss in their tracks.

You might say that LSU is on upset alert this week, but there’s still a game to be played. LSU has one of the strongest home field advantages in the nation, so nothing will come easy for Ole Miss this week, even though the Tigers have stumbled at home more than usual this season. One thing is for sure, a great game is in store for football fans this weekend in Baton Rouge.

Editors Note: Jack Jones has a big play on the Mississippi State/LSU game Saturday. Check it out!

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