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Lane Kiffin jokes about Brian Kelly's usage of Harold Perkins before Ole Miss football vs. LSU

OXFORD — Ole Miss football felt the full wrath of standout LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. last season, when the then-freshman played a career high in snaps to help key a 45-20 Tigers victory.

Perkins pressured Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart six times in that game, according to Pro Football Focus data, sacking him once. That impact primarily came as an outside linebacker.

To begin this season, LSU coach Brian Kelly deployed Perkins as an inside linebacker, where he looked less effective. He has since put Perkins back on the edge, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said during his news conference Monday.

The Rebels (3-1, 0-1 SEC) welcome the Tigers (3-1, 2-0) to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday (5 p.m., ESPN). Unfortunately for Kiffin, signs point toward Perkins playing the outside role in which he was named second-team All-SEC in 2022.

"I don't know if they've talked about it, but it looks like they tried to play him like a normal 'backer in Week 1," Kiffin said. "... It looks like they scratched that after the Florida State game and went back to last year's game, just put him out there made a few calls and let him play.

"I wish they'd put him back at linebacker," Kiffin added with a smile.

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David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football's Lane Kiffin jokes about LSU's usage of Harold Perkins