All we are saying is give the ball to Keiland.

To give themselves a jump-start, LSU should give Keiland Williams a lot more against Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford. The Rebels are favored by three points.

The last time we saw Williams, he rushed 16 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns on l5 carries as a replacement for the injured Charles Scott (clavicle) in the 24-16 victory over Louisiana Tech. No Tigers running back has gained that many yards since Scott gained 144 against Georgia last year.

"I couldn't give him the ball enough," said Tigers coach Les Miles.

This is true. Williams should have gotten the ball at least 25 times. Williams averaged 7.7 yards a carry but Miles and offensive coordinator Gary Crowton continued to call passes by ineffective Jarrett Lee.  Williams averaged 12.5 yards per carry in the first quarter as he gained 50 yards on 4 rushes. He got one carry in the second quarter for 4 yards. In the third quarter, Williams carried 5 times for 38 yards -- a 7.6 average, In the froth quarter, Williams carried 5 times for 24 yards -- a 4,8 average.

He scored the game-clinching touchdown on a powerful run with 7:01 to play for a 24-13 lead.and put the Tigers ahead to stay at 17-13 on a 3-yard touchdown run with 6:59 left in the third quarter.

Williams and Scott, before the season began, were rated as among the top 10 senior running backs in the country. And the Tigers don't run the ball enough.  To beat Ole Miss the Tigers will have to run more than they have.

Before the Louisiana Tech game, Scott, a close friend of Williams, sent this text message to Williams: "Tote it like you stole it."

Williams had not gained so many yards since he struck for 126 on seven carries against Virginia Tech in 2007 with a 67-yard touchdown run. His 15 carries were his most since he had 13 rushes against Alabama last season. The 15 carries he had against Louisiana Tech were also more than he had in his last five games and 15 more than he had in the Alabama game.

When the media asked Williams why he wasn't getting more carries, he replied, "You'll have to ask the coaches." The coaches didn't think Williams was practicing hard enough to earn more carries.

"When you're not playing, you're sitting there and you might get something here, and you might get something there," said Williams. "It was great to get a chance to get things flowing with more carries and have an opportunity to make some plays."

Running has been a missing line for the Tigers offense this season.

Miles has to run Williams after a loss to Alabama and a lack-luster showing against Louisiana Tech.

Miles returns to SEC play on Saturday with a 7-7 conference record since the beginning of the 2008 season. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt is 8-6 over that span. Including the SEC championship game, Florida coach Urban Meyer is 16-1 over that span, and Alabama coach Nick Saban is 15-1.

Should the Tigers lose to the Rebels, Miles would be below .500 against four active SEC coaches. Now, he is 2-2 against Nutt, 2-3 against Meyer, and 1-2 against Saban.

He is 1-2 against Georgia coach Mark Richt and 0-1 against Arkansas coach Bobby Petrina. He is 1-1 against Kentucky coach Rich Brooks, 2-0 against South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson and 1-0 against Auburn coach Gene Chizik and  Mississippi State coach coach Dan Mullen.

Ole Miss has a receiver/tailback who was named the national player of the week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation after he set school records for rushing yardage with 282 and all-purpose yards with 324 in the Rebels' 42-17 win over Tennessee on Saturday. He also scored four touchdowns.

The Tigers will have quarterback Jordan Jefferson back for Saturday's game. He suffered a sprained ankle against Alabama and sat out the Louisiana Tech game after he warmed up.

Miles wanted to save him for this game. He'll need him.

If the Tigers (8-2, 4-2 SEC) beat Ole Miss (7-3, 3-3 SEC) and Arkansas they will probably be invited to play in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. If they don't get invited to that bowl, they'll get an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl and the Cowboys' new $1 billion Stadium.

Saints get cornerback help
The New Orleans Saints shored up their secondary by signing veteran cornerback Chris McAlister on Tuesday.


The Saints signed the 10-year veteran formerly with the Ravens to a one-year contract. Injuries to Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter might linger, so McAlister brings instant experience and ability to the secondary with Randall Gay, Malcolm Jenkins and Leigh Torrance.


McAlister had 26 interceptions, 5 touchdowns and 301 tackles over the past 10 seasons.


In other NFL news, former LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, now with the Chiefs, has been suspended without pay for four games for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing substances.


Bowe's agent, Todd France, said his client was guilty only of taking a weight loss supplement.


Bowe leads the Chiefs in catches with 33 and last week's victory over the Raiders was a typical Bowe game. He had 6 catches for 91 yards and played a key role in the Chiefs' fourth win in 34 games.


In his 40-game NFL career, he has 15 starts and 70 catches and 16 TDs.