Ole Miss looks to improve to 2-0 at 6 p.m. Saturday against Central Arkansas.
Here’s who has an advantage at every position.
Quarterback
Sophomore Luke Altmyer will be the first quarterback on the field this weekend, as fellow sophomore Jaxson Dart saw the majority of the snaps in the opener. Altmyer threw just two passes in his brief stint in a 28-10 win. Will McElvain threw for 173 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the Bears’ opener against Missouri State.
Edge: Ole Miss
Running back
Central Arkansas’ best player is arguably running back Darius Hale, who ran for 1,000 yards as a freshman and finished with 99 yards in the season opener. But the Rebels have junior Zach Evans, who slashed Troy for 130 yards. Freshman Quinshon Judkins had 87 yards and a touchdown in his first college game.
Edge: Ole Miss
Wide receiver/tight end
Ole Miss’ receivers didn’t have their best outing against Troy, as the team’s leading receiver was sophomore tight end Michael Trigg and his 33 yards. Senior Malik Heath caught the first touchdown pass of the season. Look for the Rebels’ receiving corps to break out in a big way Saturday.
Edge: Ole Miss
Offensive line
As was the case with the receivers, Ole Miss’ offensive line didn’t have its best day versus Troy, specifically in pass protection. Still, the unit did not allow a sack. Central Arkansas’ offensive line gave up seven sacks to Missouri State, which doesn’t bode well against an athletic Ole Miss defensive front.
Edge: Ole Miss
Defensive line
First-year Rebels Jared Ivey and J.J. Pegues each had a sack in their Ole Miss debuts after transferring from Georgia Tech and Auburn, respectively. The Rebels were stout against the run against Troy as well, surrendering just 60 yards on 33 carries.
Edge: Ole Miss
Linebacker
TCU junior transfer Khari Coleman was stellar in his first game with the Rebels, amassing five tackles for loss, including two sacks. Central Michigan senior transfer Troy Brown had 11 tackles. Senior Ashanti Cistrunk forced a fumble, and redshirt sophomore Austin Keys had four tackles.
Edge: Ole Miss
Secondary
Troy completed 72 percent of its passes against Ole Miss last weekend for 286 yards, but a lot of the damage came in the second half when the outcome was decided — the Trojans threw for just 75 yards in the first half compared to 211 in the second. Sophomore safety Tysheem Johnson excelled for the Rebels, leading the team with 12 tackles. Senior cornerback Miles Battle had an interception as well. Central Arkansas cornerback T.D. Williams led the Bears with two pass breakups against Missouri State.
Edge: Ole Miss
Special teams
Central Arkansas’ Hayden Ray missed both of his field goal tries in the opener, from 35 and 22 yards. Ole Miss kicker Jonathan Cruz did not try a field goal but made all four of his PATs and had touchbacks on all five kickoffs. Fraser Masin averaged 41.2 yards per punt on four tries in his Rebels debut.
Edge: Ole Miss
Starters
Ole Miss
Offense
QB 7 Luke Altmyer So.
-or 2 Jaxson Dart So.
RB 6 Zach Evans Jr.
WR 1 Jonathan Mingo Sr.
WR 8 Malik Heath Sr.
-or 11 Jordan Watkins Jr.
WR 9 Jaylon Robinson Sr.
-or 86 J.J. Henry Fr.
-or 84 Qua Davis Sr.
TE 81 Casey Kelly Jr.
-or 0 Michael Trigg So.
LT 78 Jeremy James Jr.
LG 64 Nick Broeker Sr.
C 54 Caleb Warren Jr.
RG 73 Eli Acker So.
RT 75 Mason Brooks Sr.
Defense
DE 2 Cedric Johnson Jr.
DT 89 J.J. Pegues Jr.
NT 55 K.D. Hill Sr.
-or 96 Isaiah Iton Jr.
DE 95 Tavius Robinson Sr.
-or 15 Jared Ivey Jr.
LB 11 Austin Keys So.
-or 23 Khari Coleman Jr.
LB 8 Troy Brown Sr.
-or 36 Ashanti Cistrunk Sr.
DB 3 Otis Reese Sr.
CB 7 Deantre Prince Sr.
SS 1 Isheem Young Jr.
FS 21 AJ Finley Sr.
CB 6 Miles Battle Sr.
-or 20 Davison Igbinosun Sr.
DB 0 Tysheem Johnson So
-or 13 Ladarius Tennison So.
Special teams
K 14 Jonathan Cruz Sr.
P 12 Fraser Masin Jr.
Central Arkansas
Offense
QB 2 Will McElvain Jr.
RB 4 Darius Hale So.
WR 14 Myles Butler Fr.
WR 1 Jarrod Barnes Jr
WR 6 Christian Richmond Jr.
TE 83 Riyadh Ananda Sr.
LT 68 Frazier Rose Fr.
LG 71 Josh George Jr.
C 60 Jack Green Fr.
RG 70 William Mayo So.
RT 79 Justin Lairy So.
Defense
DE 0 David Walker So.
NG 8 Jalen Bedell Sr.
DT 97 Caden Brown Jr.
DE 9 Logan Jessup Jr.
WLB 24 Darin Davenport Jr.
SLB 11 Demetrias Charles So.
NICK 15 C.J. Bosket So.
BS 7 TaMuarion Wilson So.
FS 4 Cameron Godfrey Jr.
CB 3 James Jordan Fr.
CB 16 T.D. Williams So.
Special teams
K 53 Hayden Ray Sr.
P 46 Chandler Caughron So.
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