LSU Football: 3 Keys to Tigers Upsetting Ole Miss

LSU head coach Les Miles has a chance to make a statement against Hugh Freeze's Ole Miss Rebels. 

Miles' Tigers have not been at their sharpest this season. They dropped their first two SEC games of the season against Mississippi State and Auburn, and the team was dominated both times.

LSU has picked it up recently with wins against Florida and Kentucky.

Miles could win his first game against SEC West opposition at home on Saturday. However, possibly pulling off an upset against Freeze is an even bigger personal opportunity. Last season, the undermanned Rebels defeated the Tigers 27-24 in Oxford. Miles now has the chance to return the favor.

It won't be easy for the Tigers, but they have the talent and home crowd to pull off the upset. Here are three keys for the Tigers to be triumphant on Saturday.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press/Associated Press

Win Turnover Battle

The Tigers and Rebels are both playing their best football of the season right now. The one thing both teams have in common is turnover efficiency.

LSU has only committed one turnover in the past two games. Ole Miss has only had one in the past three. The team that plays sounder football will likely win.

LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings has yet to throw an interception in SEC play, but neither has Ole Miss signal-caller Bo Wallace. The difference is in the defenses.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The Rebels have forced an SEC-leading 20 takeaways, 10 of which have come in SEC play. The Landshark defense is full of playmakers, led by ball-hawking safety Cody Prewitt. The LSU defense, albeit improved, does not posses the same playmaking ability.

If LSU cannot run the ball and Jennings is forced to make tough throws, it could lead to trouble. The Tigers must have a strong ground game to help their quarterback.

Stop the Run

Ole Miss' running game has not been its strong suit. The Rebels are 11th in the SEC in rushing and have yet to have a player eclipse 100 yards in a game this season.

The Rebels' most dangerous running play has been the zone read with Wallace and running back Jaylen Walton, who leads Ole Miss in rushing. Walton's lone 100-yard game was against the Tigers last season, when he gashed them for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Wallace and Walton will be a tough challenge, especially considering the Tigers' struggles with defending mobile quarterbacks.

But LSU's defense has shown improvement thanks to a boost in speed from linebacker Kendell Beckwith and safety Jamal Adams. Two weeks ago, the Tigers were last in rushing yards allowed against conference opposition. They have now jumped to 10th.

The weakness of LSU's defense has been the middle, but the Tigers have gotten more out of their defensive tackles in recent weeks.

Also, Ole Miss does not have a power, between-the-tackles bruiser back who can pound the ball up the gut.

Ole Miss will have success throwing the ball. Receivers Laquon Treadwell and Vince Sanders lead a talented cast of characters in the passing game. Wallace has thrown for 656 yards in his past two matchups against LSU. So the Tigers must not get discouraged if the Rebels make some big plays early.

Nevertheless, the Tigers' chances of winning increase if they can stop the run and make the Rebels one-dimensional.

Win Special Teams

Close games are normally decided on special teams.

The Rebels found that out the hard way the last time they made the trip to Baton Rouge in 2012. Former LSU receiver Odell Beckham Jr. returned a punt for a touchdown to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers would go on to win the game 41-35.

The Tigers might need the same kind of boost from Tre'Davious White on Saturday. White returned his first punt for a touchdown last week against Kentucky on a beautifully designed return by special teams coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto.

LSU and Ole Miss' special teams have been amongst the best in the SEC. LSU's Jamie Keehn and Ole Miss' Will Gleeson are No. 2 and No. 3 in the conference in punting average.

The Tigers are better in field-goal kicking with Colby Delahoussaye and kickoffs with Trent Domingue. Ole Miss rarely gets touchbacks, which opens the door for returners Leonard Fournette and Terrence Magee to make plays.

The Tigers have a slight edge on special teams in nearly every aspect. They must take advantage of this on Saturday against the favored Rebels.

Stats, rankings and additional information provided by cfbstats.com and LSU Sports Information. Recruiting information provided by 247Sports.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow me on Twitter @CarterthePower.