By Chris Marler
Ole Miss heads to Death Valley this weekend as a 3-point favorite over LSU. Regardless of what Las Vegas thinks, there are a lot of numbers and trends that favor Brian Kelly’s team this Saturday night. Despite the rarity of being a home underdog in Death Valley, LSU should be well rested coming off their bye week. Meanwhile, Ole Miss will be playing their seventh consecutive game this Saturday night. The Rebels are the only team in the SEC who has yet to take their bye week. (Unless you count their entire non-conference slate in September. But, I digress.)
Anyway, here are the “Numbers to Know” for LSU-Ole Miss this Saturday!
70.3: Garrett Nussmeier has accounted for 70.3 percent of LSU’s total offensive production. He’s also been responsible for 17 of their 23 total offensive touchdowns.
0-4: Lane Kiffin’s record against ranked teams on the road at Ole Miss.
82.6: Average total points scored between Ole Miss and LSU in their last five meetings.
7: LSU has won seven straight games against Ole Miss in Death Valley and 10 of their last 11 overall.
39.3: Average points scored by LSU in their last seven games against Ole Miss in Death Valley. The Tigers have scored 38 or more points in six of those seven and scored 40 or more in five.
10.5: Tackles for loss per game by the Ole Miss defense so far this season. Not only does their 63 combined TFLs lead the country, but the 10.5 per game would be the most of any team in college football in the last 10 years.
1: Ole Miss ranks No. 1 nationally in run defense, yards per carry, sacks and quarterback pressures.
2: Total sacks allowed by LSU’s offensive line this season which is the best in the SEC.
101: The average ranking of Ole Miss’s non-conference opponents this season according to the CBSSports Rankings.
Brian Kelly off a bye week
.652: Brian Kelly is 15-8 against the spread all time as a head coach following a bye week. That’s a win percentage of .652, and is the best record of any head coach in the SEC with a minimum six games.
20-3: Brian Kelly has a 20-3 record and .869 win percentage as a head coach in regular season games after a bye week. He’s 29-12 all-time including bowl games.
15-2: Brian Kelly is 15-2 overall and 12-5 against the spread all-time as a head coach playing at home on extended rest.
