The No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels will travel to Austin, Texas, to face the No. 19 Texas Longhorns on Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. The Longhorns have lost back-to-back games and must win in Week 8 to save their season, whereas the Rebels will be fighting to prove they are at the top of the SEC.
Quarterback
Trinidad Chambliss leads the Rebels with 1,676 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns and six rushing touchdowns. He only has four interceptions. Longhorn quarterback Arch Manning has 1,295, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Chambliss holds all the advantages in this category. His clutch ability to change a game at any moment and make plays happen has been key to the Rebels’ success. Manning has crumbled in big moments when Texas needed him to pull through.
Running back
For the Rebels, Kewan Lacy has totaled 352 yards on 62 carries with five rushing touchdowns. Makhi Frazier has 254 yards on 45 attempts. He stepped up big for the Rebels against Missouri, rushing for his first 100-yard game this season.
For Texas, Daylan “Hollywood” Smothers and Raleek Brown are their main running backs. Smothers has 289 yards on 65 carries with two touchdowns. However, Smothers will not play on Saturday due to injury. Brown has accounted for 265 yards on 61 carries and has added five touchdowns.
The Ole Miss backfield seems to have the advantage in this matchup because of their explosive characteristics. They rank second in the conference with 5.15 yards per carry in SEC play, and Texas has struggled to have consistent production on the ground.
Offensive Line
The Rebel offensive line is significantly better than the Longhorns’ unit. The Rebels allow .83 sacks per game, leading the conference. The Longhorns allowed five sacks against Florida last week. The Rebels’ unit is ranked No. 10 in FBS, and the Longhorns are ranked No. 111.
The only concern for the Rebels is injuries headed into the weekend. Center Brycen Sanders is probable for Saturday, while left tackle Terez Davis is questionable.
Tight Ends
Caleb Odom leads the Ole Miss tight end room with 21 receptions, 267 yards, and two touchdowns. Luke Hasz, another trustworthy Rebel tight end, has nine receptions for 53 yards. The Rebel tight ends are skilled blockers and pass catchers.
Texas uses their tight ends primarily for blocking, and when they are called on to receive, it does not always work out. Their tight ends do not boast large numbers. Nick Townsend has four receptions for 27 yards and Spencer Shannon has 24 yards on three receptions.
Ole Miss uses their tight ends a bit more for receiving then the Longhorns, and ultimately the Longhorns’ lack of reliability when they are needed for catching passes gives the Rebels an upper hand.
Wide Receivers
The Longhorns and Rebels match well in the wide receiver category, but Texas has a bit more depth and rotational pass catchers.
Ole Miss relies heavily on Deuce Alexander, who has 35 catches for 523 yards and five touchdowns. Traylon Ray has 20 receptions for 276 receiving yards and a touchdown this season, so he is another big piece for the Rebels.
Texas, however, has several major pieces in their wide receiver corps. Cam Coleman has 17 catches for 318 yards and five touchdowns. Ryan Wingo has 345 yards and three touchdowns on 26 catches.
Linebackers
Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer are leading the group for Texas, but they are coming off an extremely tiring outing against Florida, where they were on the field for 38 minutes making for very long drives.
The Rebels are led by Suntarine Perkins. Keaton Thomas and Luke Ferrelli have also stepped up as major contributors to the unit. The linebackers are coming off an excellent outing against Missouri, where Ferrelli had 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and two solo tackles. Ole Miss’ linebackers apply consistent pressure and have performed strong recently.
Texas’ linebacker corps’ exhaustion could play a major role in their performance against the Rebels.
Defensive Line
Texas’ primary edge rusher Colin Simmons is out against Ole Miss. The line will struggle to provide pressure without his presence. Much like the linebackers, it is expected for the line to be worn out after last week’s Florida game.
The Rebels’ defensive line had a major performance against Missouri. They allowed just 39 rushing yards against the Tigers. The momentum of their strong performance should be evident against the Longhorns.
Secondary
The Longhorn secondary is ranked 12th in the country and allows a limited amount of explosive plays. They average around 166.2 air yards allowed per game.
The Rebel secondary has seen improvement over the season but can still be a liability at times. They average 236.5 passing yards allowed per game, and against Missouri, the unit allowed 339 passing yards. The Rebels may give up lots of yards but made major red zone stops against Missouri.
The Longhorns are a stronger unit, but the Rebels have developed the ability to make stops when it matters.
Kicker
Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro is among the top kickers in the country. His powerful leg is a major asset for the Rebels. Carneiro is 81.8% on field goals and has completed all extra-point kicks. He has amassed 53 points so far this season. His longest field goal is 57 yards.
Texas’ kicker is Gianni Spetic. He is 90% on field goals, with his largest being 52 yards. He has scored 49 points this season and has made every extra point kick this season. Carnerio holds the upper hand for this matchup because of his range.
