Passing in game in spotlight vs. No. 5 LSU
Ole Miss receivers A.J. Brown and DK Metcalf may not have the chance to make dynamic one-handed grabs or over-the-shoulder catches as they have in nonconference games this season.
Rebels coach Matt Luke says the best chance for his offense against No. 5 LSU on Saturday will include more “high-percentage passes” in the play-calling.
The Rebels have been a quick-strike, deep-throwing offense much of the season, but they were bottled up by No. 1 Alabama in their only other SEC game to date.
The Crimson Tide held Ole Miss to 248 yards, 133 in the air, and just one touchdown.
LSU, like Alabama, has been prone to give up passing yards between the 20s, but has also gotten some stops by forcing turnovers. The Tigers are second in the SEC with six interceptions, just one behind Alabama.
Luke says the length of LSU’s cornerbacks makes them dangerous. Sophomore Greedy Williams, who was a third-team AP All-American last season, has two picks in 2018.
“We’re going to have to do a really good job of having high-percentage passes,” Luke said.
He hopes that intermediate game will limit the chances for LSU’s cornerbacks to get the Rebels off the field with athletic plays.
Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu didn’t throw an interception in the first two weeks in wins over Texas Tech and Southern Illinois but threw two picks and fumbled in the Rebels’ 62-7 loss to Alabama.
Quick passes will help Ta’amu get the offense in rhythm and give him a jolt of confidence early in the game.
The LSU game was a debut of sorts of Ta’amu last year. He got his first meaningful playing time then after an injury to starter Shea Patterson. When it was determined that Patterson was done for the year, the job was Ta’amu’s. Ta’amu was 7-for-11 passing for 78 yards against the Tigers. He’s 6-3 as the Ole Miss starter.
It won’t only be about the short passing game for the Rebels.
“We have to have enough in the run game where we don’t get on our heels. We’ve got to stay in attack mode. We’ve got to be aggressive in the run game, and we’ve got to have some high-percentage completions,” Luke said.
