Common foes weigh in on Ole Miss/LSU contest

By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Nov. 20, 2003
Common opponents of both No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 3 LSU agree there will probably be nothing common about the Saturday matchup that could decide the Southeastern Conference West Division champ.
Five teams have faced the Rebels and Tigers in 2003 Louisiana-Monroe, Florida, Auburn, Alabama and South Carolina. The Rebels, undefeated in the SEC, are 5-0 against those teams. LSU, whose only loss of the season came versus the Gators, are 4-1 against common opponents.
The difference for the Rebels has been their resurgent running game, led by senior halfback Tremaine Turner. Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville warned that Turner will face his stiffest test of the year against the Tigers defensive front, though.
The Rebels will be challenged by LSU's offense as well. The Ole Miss pass defense has been inconsistent all year, and after improved performances against Alabama and Arkansas, the Rebels secondary struggled mightily against South Carolina and Auburn.
Alabama head coach Mike Shula, whose Crimson Tide were blown out at home 27-3 by LSU, said Tigers quarterback Matt Mauck is one of the SEC's hottest players.
Shula said the Rebels will have to keep closer tabs on LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton than did Alabama. Clayton, the conference's second-leading receiver, scorched the Crimson Tide secondary for 130 yards and a touchdown on 12 catches.
And though Mauck is the SEC's highest-rated quarterback and leads the league in completion percentage at 65.4 percent, South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz warned that LSU's running game remains the Tigers' most dangerous weapon.
Holtz also lost 43-40 to Ole Miss on Nov. 1, and while he said intangibles favor the Rebels, he stopped just short of picking LSU to win.
While the Gators, the only team to best LSU this season, were able to hold LSU to just 56 yards on the ground, Zook said the Rebels' key to victory lies in giving quarterback Eli Manning the chances he needs.