The Ole Miss offense should have the perfect plan to break LSU’s defense wide open
Lane Kiffin knows just what to do Saturday.
No. 4 LSU travels to No. 11 Ole Miss Saturday for a pivotal SEC tilt. Both can really separate itself from the rest of the pack in the conference with a win. The Tigers are most likely looking to find its run game and to wear down the Rebel defense. Ole Miss is hoping to get after Garrett Nussmeier and continue to ride the wave that is backup turned starting quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
The latter is something LSU fans should be worried about. Chambliss has been electric since taking over for Austin Simmons. A lot of the damage has been due to his dual-threat playmaking ability. He has torched both Arkansas and Tulane for 800+ total yards and five total touchdowns.
And as of late, the trend with LSU’s defense has been struggling with mobile quarterbacks. Will it continue this weekend?
In 2022, Tennessee exposed LSU with a dual-threat option.
The numbers weren’t eye-popping – mind you– but Hendon Hooker and Tennessee strolled into Tiger Stadium three seasons ago and embarrassed LSU. Hooker threw for 239 yards and two scores and added 56 yards on the ground as well. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and extended plays and drives with his legs multiple times.
Chambliss can do this and more for Lane Kiffin. And, like Hooker, Chambliss is not just a runner. He has been more than prepared for stacked boxes and blitzes and has made folks pay downfield. On throws of 20 yards or more, he was 5-for-6 last week against Tulane.
Win your one-on-ones and it could be a long night for LSU.
Last season it happened twice to LSU.
Jalen Milroe only threw for 109 yards but he ran for 185(!) and four(!!) touchdowns. It was a complete undressing of the LSU defense and made Blake Baker look like a fool. Chambliss has a similar game to Milroe and could certainly be just as effective.
Kalen DeBoer’s offense utilized a lot of designed runs for the quarterback and punished LSU over and over with it. Last week, Kiffin called 15 designed runs for Chambliss and he had a field day versus Tulane – running for 112 yards on 14 carries.
This is the way to attack LSU early and often – forcing the defense to stack the box, getting those safeties to creep up and keep their eyes in the backfield a second or two too long, and punish them with a deep ball.
Ole Miss Rebels News
Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss reminds national college football analyst of a few gamebreakers, has gameplan secret for Lane Kiffin
There’s a certain style of play under center in Oxford and this weekend is a big measuring stick.
In another instance of this trend, Marcel Reed did it in primetime against LSU.
Reed came in for the injured Connor Weigman and only had to throw the football twice. Instead, Texas A&M offensive coordinator tapped in to his past experiences as a signal caller at Kansas State and called designed run after designed run.
Reed toted it nine times for 62 yards and scored three times against a completely bewildered LSU defense. Again, this is just a perfect encapsulation of what the Rebels could do to Baker’s defense on Saturday.
You have to know Kiffin has been studying up on the tendencies of LSU’s defense, what makes them susceptible to the run, and why running quarterbacks have had so much success. Two years ago, Kiffin had Jaxson Dart run around a good bit against LSU – putting up seven carries for 50 yards and score.
Will we see another chapter in this horrifying book for LSU’s defense?
