No. 13 Ole Miss will try to win its 14th in a row against Tulane on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Here are three keys to a Rebels win over the Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Tackle, tackle, tackle
According to Pro Football Focus, Ole Miss defenders missed nine tackles against Arkansas and have missed a combined 30 over three games; the Rebels missed 96 tackles in 13 games a season ago. Behind dual-threat quarterback Taylen Green, Arkansas ran for 221 yards against Ole Miss last weekend. Things don’t get easier with Tulane and quarterback Jake Retzlaff, as the BYU transfer ran for 111 yards and four touchdowns against Duke. The Rebels have the No. 117 rush defense in the nation (194.7 yards per game), and missed tackles haven’t helped that stat.
Don’t let Retzlaff beat you
This is the same bullet point as last weekend, just with Retzlaff instead of Green. Retzlaff averages 96 yards per game on the ground and already has six rushing touchdowns. His passing numbers haven’t been eye-popping yet, but Retzlaff threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last season at BYU. The Rebels’ defense settled down in the second half against Arkansas following a chaotic opening two quarters where the Razorbacks scored 28 points. Letting Retzlaff and Tulane get off to a fast start isn’t a recipe to success.
Avoid turnovers
Ole Miss has a minus-two turnover margin through two games, which is third-worst in the SEC. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons threw four interceptions over his two starts, while senior Trinidad Chambliss avoided committing any turnovers in his start against Arkansas. Kiffin told reporters on Monday he “would anticipate” Simmons will be the team’s starter this weekend; regardless of who takes the snaps against the Green Wave, Ole Miss has to make sure it doesn’t give Tulane any free possessions.
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