No. 20 Ole Miss opens SEC play at Kentucky on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Here are three keys to a Rebels win over the Wildcats.
Don’t let the emotions beat you
Ole Miss’ stunning loss to Kentucky last season in Oxford likely kept the Rebels out of the College Football Playoff field; it was the Wildcats’ lone SEC win of the entire season. Many of the stars from that Ole Miss team are gone, but plenty of returners remember how difficult a pill that loss was to swallow. You’d have to imagine Ole Miss players have had this game circled on their calendars as a chance at redemption. Too much emotion, however, could lead to mistakes. Mistakes can be the great equalizer, particularly in a road game where the Rebels are favored by nearly 10 points.
Bully the bullies
Kentucky has generally had strong line play under head coach Mark Stoops – particularly on the defensive side – and has made life difficult for opposing lines. Kentucky’s offensive linemen have made 166 career starts. The Rebels sacked Wildcats passers five times last season, but Kentucky returned the favor with four sacks of their own and held the Rebels to just 14 first downs. While much of the talk over the offseason was about redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons taking over at quarterback, the Rebels made a concerted effort to improve the run game as well. Sophomore Kewan Lacy had over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns in the opener. Running the ball and putting pressure on quarterback Zach Calzada seem like a perfect recipe to success.
Keep your foot on the gas
Ole Miss quickly made its way down the field on its first drive against Kentucky last season – a six play, 83-yard drive that culminated in a short touchdown run from Henry Parrish Jr. The Rebels found the end zone just one more time the rest of the game, a long touchdown toss to Tre Harris late in the third quarter. Early leads can take the wind out of an opponent’s sails, particularly in a road environment. An early touchdown lead is great, but a few early scores can send the Wildcats into desperation mode. And what does that mean? The Rebels can pin their ears back and get after the quarterback. The longer Kentucky hangs around, the more the Wildcats will believe they can pull off another upset.
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 34 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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
