Ole Miss Football: Previewing LSU with Death Valley Voice

We sat down with Jacob Young of Death Valley Voice to preview Saturday’s Ole Miss game with LSU.

What is the general feeling of the LSU fans after Les Miles was fired and Ed Orgeron was named interim coach?Overall, I think the fanbase is pretty happy with the way things have played out. Les Miles refused to alter his offensive approach whatsoever, and people got really sick of that. Ed Orgeron has come in and turned a stagnant, and at times lifeless, team into a dominant force, and the way he has done so is remarkably simple. All he’s really had to do is adapt his scheme to fit the skill set of his players, rather than force feeding them a system and refusing to change. What has changed within the program since the firing of Les Miles? Just about everything. Orgeron’s enthusiastic, players-first approach has brought new life to this program. He is putting players in positions to succeed, and empowering them to do so with encouragement and preparation. The entire culture at LSU has changed, and you’ll get to see that in action this Saturday. Where does Ole Miss fall in terms of a rival within the eyes of LSU fans? Personally, I do not despise Ole Miss as I do teams like Alabama, Auburn, and Arkansas, but this matchup is undoubtedly a rivalry. I know for a fact that there are people around here who have much stronger feelings for the Rebels than I do, but with the prestige and conference implications of the matchup every year, the tension is certainly there. Is Leonard Fournette healthy? What do we expect out of him? According to Coach O, Fournette is back to “full speed.” He has practiced all week, and is set to play on Saturday. But do not expect to see the usual workload for number seven, as he is still working to get back in the proper conditioning to be a workhorse back. Sophomore Derrius Guice has emerged as a dynamic ball carrier in his absence, so you’ll see those two guys likely split carries for a lot of this game. How do you see this game playing out?I think the Tigers win this one by 10. The momentum this team is riding, the home field advantage, and getting their star player back on the field will just be too much for Ole Miss. The offense won’t dominate like they have the last two outings, but I think they do a decent job and put enough points on the board to allow LSU’s elite defense to lead them to a victory.