LSU vs. Ole Miss: 5 Motivations for a Tiger Victory Over the Rebs
The LSU / Ole Miss series goes back to 1894 but the intensity of the rivalry really developed in the 50s and 60s as the two border state SEC rivals clashed on an annual basis with conference and national rankings usually on the line.
The LSU / Ole Miss game became one of the best known and intentely heated rivalries in the South with many memorable games that were not decided until the final minute.
However, in the 1970s Ole Miss had a coaching change with the Legendary Ole Miss coach Johnny Vaught retiring. Ole Miss had many difficult years trying to replace Coach Vaught and the LSU Tigers took over the series for most of the 70s and 80s.
Though there were many very close and competitive games played, it wasn't til the early 2000s that Archie's son Eli Manning became the Ole Miss quarterback and that brought a renewal in the intensity of the rivalry as the Ole Miss Rebels again began to challenge the LSU Tigers in the SEC.
And now with Ole Miss winning the last two straight games under former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt, the LSU / Ole Miss rivalry is again taking on the old status it once had.
The following are Five (5) motivation that I feel will lead to an LSU Victory over the Ole Miss Rebels.
1. The Revenge Factor From 2009
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As everyone is well aware, last years LSU vs Ole Miss game has been referred to as the famous " Clock Management Game " where LSU under Coach Les Miles failed to manage the clock at the end of the game as they had the chance to win the game with a field goal.
During that game LSU had the ball with over 1 minute to go on the Ole Miss 31 yard line and they only needed to get a little closer to kick a sure winning field goal and they still had one time out remaining.
However, the Tigers lost almost 20 yards on two pass plays which put themselves out of field goal range and they were faced with a 4th down desperation pass as their only option.
Quarterback Jordan Jefferson then threw up a Big Ben pass to the 6 yard line and it was caught, but time was down to 1 second and confusion consumed the players and coaches as time ran out on the Tigers chance to kick the field goal to win the game.
To a man each LSU Tiger that played in that game has expressed their disgust and determination to avenge that loss to the Ole Miss Rebels.
Not only are the LSU players motivated to avenge their embarrassing loss, but Coach Les Miles has suffered most for this embarrassment, and though he has said nothing about it public, you can be sure he will take great satisfaction in avenging one of his most embarrassing moments in his coaching career.
If the 5th ranked LSU Tigers needed something to motivate them to victory, they certainly have plenty to work with.
2. The Houston Nutt Factor
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The LSU / Ole Miss rivalry has generally not required any additional motivation, but in 2008 Ole Miss turned up the flame by hiring former Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt.
During his tenure with The Arkansas Razorbacks, Houston Nutt was usually found coming out on the short end of the stick against LSU with a 3-6 coaching record until his last year with Arkansas.
In 2007, the Razorbacks came into Tiger Stadium with a highly ranked and very talented team featuring the new Wild Hog offensive formation being run by future NFL speedsters Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.
The Razorbacks under Nutt took LSU into 3 overtimes before they finally defeated the LSU Tigers, but the Tigers still went on to win the 2007 BCS National Title.
To the surprise of all, Ole Miss then hired Houston Nutt to be their head coach after he and the Arkansas athletic department agreed to part company.
Nutt inherited a very good and well balanced team and he was able to turn The Ole Miss Rebels into a power almost overnight.
Following the Ole Miss victory over LSU in 2008, Houston Nutt was interviewed at the end of the game and he showed a sort of disrespect for Tiger Stadium by saying how much fun it was to play in Tiger Stadium.
Whatever he meant by his comments, most Tiger fans see his comments disrespect to the History and Traditions of Tiger Stadium, and LSU will be out to show Coach Nutt why he should not have such fond memories of playing in Tiger Stadium. So, Houston Nutt will be a large motivation for the Tigers.
3. To Re-Establish Tiger Dominance
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Back in the 60s the LSU / Ole Miss overall series record was very close usually being within 1 game apart, but during the Ole Miss coaching difficulties of the 70s and 80s, LSU gained a foothold in the series and they began to pull away.
LSU now holds a 55-39-5 overall record against the Rebels, but since the last two games have been won by Ole Miss, LSU's dominance and regional pride has been wounded and the Tigers don' t like it.
Though LSU has won big games against Florida and Alabama, the sting of those last two losses to Ole Miss in 2008 and 2009 has begun to hurt, and the Tigers want to re-establish their dominance in this series.
So, I look for LSU to approach this game with an renewed intensity and purpose to flex their muscles against the struggling Ole Miss Rebels.
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4. The 9 Ole Miss Players From Louisiana
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LSU has always taken particular pride in keeping it's in - state players at home at either LSU or one of the other state schools.
Going back to the early 70s when Ole Miss signed the top Louisiana quarterback John Fourcade from Arch Bishop Shaw in New Orleans, most Tiger fans have detested seeing one of our state players playing for an SEC rival.
Of course when Fourcade and Ole Miss came to Baton Rouge to play the Tigers, the LSU Tigers players did not treat Mr. Forucade very well as they hit him hard and often for loses.
When Ed Orgeron, a former LSU player (for one month) took over the head coaching job, he spent much of his time recruiting Louisiana players to play for Ole Miss.
It seems that while LSU and Coach Les Miles were off looking in Florida and Texas for players, Orgeron made the most of his opportunities and was able to bring in a large number of Louisiana players to Ole Miss.
To the chagrin of most Tiger Fans, many of our natives sons playing for Ole Miss have come in here and defeated our Tigers the last two years.
This years Ole Miss team has 9 players from Louisiana on the Ole Miss team and one player, Brandon Bolden, is from Baton Rouge and LSU failed to offer him a scholarship as a running back. Bolden is now one of the top backs in the SEC and he will surely be here trying to add more embarrassment for LSU.
So, I look for those 9 players to be a motivation for the current Tigers as they will try to show them why they made a mistake in signing with Ole Miss over the LSU Tigers.
5. Bringing Home The Magnolia Trophy
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The long series between LSU and Ole Miss has gone on for many years before they actually gave the game a name and awarded a real trophy.
Through the years pride and national or regional ranking and bragging rights have served as the main motivation for the winner in this series.
However, since both states have the Magnolia as their state Flower, the game was given the name of "The Magnolia Bowl " in 2008.
Now instead of just bragging, the winner gets to keep the Magnolia Bowl Trophy for one more year.
To the disappointment of the LSU fans, the Tigers even though they have dominated the series in recent memory have never won the Magnolia Bowl Trophy , but it has been Ole Miss that has won the only two Magnolia Bowl Games and they possess the trophy now.
So, this will be a big motivation for the LSU Tigers to take ownership of this beautiful trophy with a big victory his year in front of their own fan base in Baton Rouge.
Since the game is being played in Tiger Stadium, there can be no more fitting place to assume ownership.
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