No. 16 Ole Miss (3-0) takes on Tulsa (2-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
Here’s who has the edge at each position between the Rebels and the Golden Hurricane.
Quarterback
Ole Miss sophomore Jaxson Dart was solid against Georgia Tech, particularly in the third quarter, where he hit 6 of 7 passes and led three touchdown drives. Tulsa, however, has the best passing game in the country at the moment, led by Davis Brin. Brin is tied for the national lead with 11 touchdowns and leads college football with 402 passing yards per game. The Golden Hurricane average 42 pass attempts per game; Brin and Co. are going to get their numbers, win or lose. Ole Miss has not named Dart or sophomore Luke Altmyer as the starter for the game.
Edge: Tulsa
Running back
Two of the four leading rushers in the SEC reside in Oxford, as junior Zach Evans and freshman Quinshon Judkins have 317 yards and 289 yards, respectively. Ole Miss ran for more than 300 yards against Georgia Tech and are averaging 272 yards per game, good for fifth nationally. Evans, Judkins and junior Ulysses Bentley IV each ran for two touchdowns in a 42-0 win over the Yellow Jackets.
Edge: Ole Miss
Wide receiver/tight end
Tulsa has three receivers with at least 14 receptions thus far, and four receivers have at least 155 receiving yards. Only one Rebels receiver — sophomore tight end Michael Trigg — has 10 receptions. Ole Miss senior Jonathan Mingo is averaging 23 yards per catch, which leads the SEC.
Edge: Even
Offensive line
Senior guard Nick Broeker was recently named the SEC offensive lineman of the week, and redshirt freshman left tackle Jayden Williams has shined through three games. Ole Miss’ stellar rushing offense is obviously in part due to talented runners, but the offensive line deserves a lot of credit, too. The Rebels have allowed just two sacks the entire season.
Edge: Ole Miss
Defensive line
The Rebels had seven sacks at Georgia Tech; 3.5 of those came from defensive linemen. Ole Miss’ pass rush has been relentless thus far, averaging 4.33 per game (tied for fifth nationally). The run defense has been great, too ranking 10th at just 72 yards per game allowed. Ole Miss has been extremely stout in the trenches. Tulsa, meanwhile, didn’t log its first sack until its third game of the season, a rout of Jacksonville State.
Edge: Ole Miss
Linebackers
Part of that stellar run defense is also due to strong linebacker play. Sophomore Austin Keys, junior Khari Coleman and seniors Troy Brown and Ashanti Cistrunk have 52 combined tackles thus far. Coleman leads Ole Miss with 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Edge: Ole Miss
Secondary
Tulsa has its problems defending the pass. While its 201 yards per game allowed is modestm the Golden Hurricane rank 86th in pass efficiency defense and give up 13.4 yards a completion, 20th-highest in the nation. Ole Miss has been great against the pass, surrendering 193 yards per game and just a single passing touchdown.
Edge: Ole Miss
Special teams
The Rebels have been stellar on special teams the last two weeks, blocking punts in consecutive games for the first time in more than two decades. The Rebels are stout on kick return defense, ranking sixth nationally in yards per return allowed. Tulsa punter Lachlan Wilson is averaging 49 yards per punt, and on punt returns, the Golden Hurricane have allowed negative-1 total yards on two opportunities.
Edge: Ole Miss
Starters
Tulsa
Offense
QB 7 Davis Brin Sr.
RB 24 Steven Anderson Sr.
WR 3 Isaiah Epps Sr.
WR 2 Keylon Stokes Sr
WR 5 JuanCarlos Santana Sr.
TE 47 Ethan Hall Jr.
-or 88 Bayne Tryon So.
-or 80 Colby Powers Fr.
LT 52 Dillon Wade So.
LG 76 Chester Baah Jr.
C 56 Will Farniok Jr.
RG 51 Tai Marks So.
RT 79 Jaden Muskrat So.
Defense
DE 94 Anthony Goodlow Sr.
NG 90 Jayden Simon So.
DT 44 Joseph Anderson Sr.
STAR 19 Grant Sawyer Sr.
MIKE 30 Justin Wright Sr.
WILL 6 Jon-Michael Terry Sr.
NICKEL 21 Bryson Powers Sr.
FS 25 Jaise Oliver Jr.
SS 1 Kendarin Ray Sr.
CB 0 Tyon Davis Sr.
CB 4 Tyree Carlisle Jr.
Special teams
K 90 Zack Long Sr.
P 37 Lachlan Wilson Jr.
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.
WR 9 Jaylon Robinson Sr.
TE 0 Michael Trigg So.
LT 71 Jayden Williams Fr.
LG 64 Nick Broeker Sr.
C 54 Caleb Warren Jr.
RG 73 Eli Acker So.
RT 78 Jeremy James Jr.
Defense
DE 2 Cedric Johnson Jr.
DT 89 J.J. Pegues Jr.
NT 55 KD Hill Sr.
DE 95 Tavius Robinson
LB 11 Austin Keys So.
-or 23 Khari Coleman Jr.
LB 8 Troy Brown Sr.
DB 3 Otis Reese Sr.
CB 7 Deantre Prince Sr.
SS 1 Isheem Young Jr.
FS 21 AJ Finley Sr.
CB 20 Davison Igbinosun Fr.
-or 6 Miles Battle Sr.
DB 0 Tysheem Johnson So.
-or 13 Ladarius Tennison So.
Special teams
K 14 Jonathan Cruz Sr.
P 12 Fraser Masin Jr.
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