OXFORD — Ole Miss’ margins for error are about to get a lot smaller. And, with all due respect to the first four opponents on their schedule, Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin knows that his team is about to get a different dose of reality this weekend.
No. 6 Ole Miss (4-0) starts SEC play Saturday against Kentucky (2-2, 0-2 SEC) at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
The Rebels are 29-14-1 all-time against the Wildcats, with their last meeting coming in 2022. That was a 22-19 win by the Rebels that came down to the final Kentucky possession of the game. Kiffin, who is one win away from 100 in his career, is 2-0 against Kentucky as Ole Miss’ head coach. The two wins have come by a combined four points.
“I’m a realist. I don’t think our opponents have really prepared us for the SEC play,” Kiffin said. “What my hope is, our practice and our fall camp has prepared us, because we play against really good players on both sides of the ball.”
Kentucky is one of the few schools that has been able to keep up with powerhouse Georgia the last few years, with two of their last three meetings being decided by 10 points or less. The Bulldogs won this year’s matchup 13-12 in a game where they were held to just 262 yards of offense and 12 first downs.
“They have really good length on defense. Great size, length, and so they’re able to play with Georgia for whatever reason at home, not so much in Georgia,” Kiffin said. “ … It’s happened to us, it’s happened to a lot of people, when you don’t have size and length on defense, you struggle over the last few years with Georgia or Alabama before that. So, they very much look like an NFL defense, from structure but from a size standpoint and coverages and techniques. So, that’s why a lot of people struggle against them, and games seem a lot more like NFL games. It’s hard to make yards, hard to run the ball.”
Under 12th-year head coach Mark Stoops, Kentucky has been among the most consistent teams in the country, particularly defensively. The Wildcats have ranked in the top 30 in scoring defense four times since 2018 and have made eight-straight bowl appearances. Kentucky is tied for 15th nationally at 12.5 points per game allowed and is sixth in total yards per game allowed at just 217.
Ole Miss senior wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. played against Kentucky in 2022 when he was still at South Carolina. Wells caught three passes for 66 yards in a touchdown in the Gamecocks’ 24-14 victory. He knows as well as anyone that the Wildcats’ defense is not to be taken lightly, particularly their defensive line. Kentucky is anchored by preseason All-American defensive lineman Deone Walker, who is listed at 6-foot-6, 345 pounds.
“Their defensive front, man. They have very experienced guys up there up front,” Wells said. “ … They do a good job of getting off the ball and being real aggressive up front. So, we have to make sure up front that we seal them guys off and we just do what we have to do.”
South Carolina kickoff announced
Ole Miss’ matchup at South Carolina on Oct. 5 will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
