Before discussing the actual game itself, it is worth noting that this is Ole Miss’ homecoming game, meaning that many UM students who worked so hard to secure their respective elections will be recognized at halftime of the game on Saturday.
Homecoming King Brady Wood and Queen Anna Ware Brown will be recognized alongside Mr. Ole Miss Daneel Konnar and Miss Ole Miss Samantha Sepe.
Since their loss to Alabama earlier this season, the Rebels have pieced together wins in many ways. Against LSU, the offense carried the team to a defining win. Against Arkansas, the defense played a massive part in taking down the Hogs. In the win against Auburn, it was a little bit of both. Now, Ole Miss hopes to play another full game of production against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Auburn’s offensive struggles aside, the Rebel defense showed significant improvement. The Tigers had just 153 net rushing yards with 53 of those yards coming on one run. The ability on the defensive side of the ball as well as the schemes introduced by coordinator Pete Golding have made the Rebel defense a tough out.
Offensively, Ole Miss has only gotten better since the Alabama game. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV have hit their stride. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has continued to impress and make game-winning plays. Even with the bye week rust, the Rebels looked solid against Auburn and the 28-21 score did not reflect the triumphant mood of the Rebel squad.
Vanderbilt opened the season 2-0. Since then, they have lost six straight games leading up to their visit to Oxford on Saturday. Seeing as this matchup could be the last one for a while between Ole Miss and Vandy, the Commodores would love to spoil the Rebels’ season.
Many of the oddsmakers have Ole Miss listed as high as a four-score favorite in the game, but anybody who has followed this series will know that predictions do not always work out that way. On paper, the Rebels should beat Vandy quite easily. The talent gap between the two teams is sizable.
In an ideal world for Rebel Head Coach Lane Kiffin, many of his key players will not see the field after halftime. They will need to take care of business early in order to give Judkins, Dart and many others some rest before hosting Texas A&M the following weekend. Do not expect Vandy to lie down, though. Despite their recent form, the Commodores are still there to win, and they showed that against No. 1 Georgia two weeks ago.
That being said, there is not a likely scenario where Ole Miss has many struggles in this game. Even though last year’s game gave Ole Miss a scare early on, being at home should calm the Rebel team.
