WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Notes, Quotes

The Sports Xchange

September 25, 2018 at 8:48 pm.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

–RB Scottie Phillips opened the season with 204 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and posted his third 100-plus yard game with 112 yards on 19 carries against Kent State. The outlier has been Alabama, which held Phillips to less than 50 yards. He had some tough inside runs against the Tide, but the burst that helped him get to the second level was not as effective as it had been previously. He’ll face similar defensive speed against LSU. The Tigers are giving up less than 100 yards a game on the ground.

–OL Greg Little is a projected early first-round draft pick and the biggest piece in the picture of pass protection for quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound junior has started 21 straight games, but he was in and out of last week’s Kent State game with unexplained injury issues. The Rebels need him on the field against an LSU team getting three sacks a game.

–WR DK Metcalf has a touchdown catch in every game this season, his most recent a 41-year one-handed grab against Kent State. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Metcalf has the size and speed to make him a matchup problem for most defensive backs, and QB Jordan Ta’amu will go to Metcalf in man coverage as soon as he spots it. Metcalf’s physicality will make him a favored target on some of those “high-percentage passes” with the hope that he’ll break a tackle and rip off a big gain. Metcalf goes into Baton Rouge leading the Rebels in yards per catch (20.4) and touchdowns (four). He’s second in receiving yards per game at 92.0, a shade behind A.J. Brown’s 95.2.

–DE Markel Winters has been a great find on an Ole Miss defense desperate for playmakers. Winters struggled to get on the field as a first-year junior college transfer in 2017, but his practice work ethic got him noticed, and he’s started to show up on game days. He had three sacks, a pressure and four tackles for loss against Kent State to solidify a spot in the starting lineup against LSU.

SERIES HISTORY: LSU leads Ole Miss 61-41-4 and has won the last two in the series since. The last two wins — both by more than two touchdowns — have come with former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron as coach of the Tigers.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I told them, ‘Let’s go play in enemy territory. Let’s reestablish the line of scrimmage and try to get the offense off schedule.’ As a result, you saw the sack numbers increase.” — Ole Miss DC Wesley McGriff on the pass rush emphasis against Kent State