The Rebels have been hungry to get back on the field under the bright lights at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the entire offseason. The disappointment of its Sugar Bowl loss has stayed with and fueled the Ole Miss football team for the last nine months, and the players and coaches cannot wait to bounce back in a big way.
The Rebels look to be a completely different monster compared to last year. Through the transfer portal, player development and hiring a new offensive coordinator, Ole Miss is well equipped to surprise many.
After coming off its first 10-win season since 2015, Ole Miss is ready to kick off its 2022 campaign Sept. 3 against Troy University. Troy, coming off of a disappointing 5-7 season in 2021, is looking to shock everyone in Week 1 of this college football season. The Trojans will come into Vaught-Hemingway stadium with supreme confidence that they can pull off the upset.
It can be easy to view this week’s matchup as a cupcake game, but the Rebels know there are no absolutes in college football. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has proven to be one of the premier coaches in the NCAA, so we can be sure to see a prepared and focused Ole Miss football team on Saturday.
Ole Miss has the luxury of being heavily favored in this matchup, so it can continue to work out the kinks on the field. Newly hired offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. has options at the quarterback position, and Kiffin has yet to name a starter, so Rebel fans can expect to see a lot of Luke Altmyer and Jaxson Dart in the season opener.
As the former backup to Matt Corral, Altmyer is looking to make a name for himself in Ole Miss lore. However, Dart, a former four-star who transferred from USC, is prepared to make the QB battle interesting.
Dart is not the only transfer poised to make an immediate impact on the team. Former TCU running back Zach Evans is ready to make some noise in the college football world.
“He (Evans) looks like a Heisman trophy candidate,” freshman offensive lineman Preston Cushman said.
Evans was a hot commodity in the transfer portal this year, so Kiffin and the rest of Rebel nation are excited to see how the TCU transfer will respond to the hype.
In recent years, Ole Miss has been known for producing NFL talent at the wide receiver position: D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown and Elijah Moore, to name a few. Weis has a deep wide receiver room this year, but one wideout projects to stand above the rest.
Senior Jonathan Mingo, a 6-foot-2-inch receiver, is a part of the 2022 Preseason All-SEC Second Team. Mingo has waited for his turn and is ready to make his mark in the Ole Miss history books.
The senior receiver, who played only six games in 2021 due to injury, notched 346 yards on 22 catches and finished second on the team in yards per game with 57.7. Given that he remains healthy, Mingo will be a serious threat in the Troy game and for the rest of the season.
The Rebels kick off at 3 p.m. CDT on Saturday and will be televised on the SEC Network. In a week where the Ole Miss football team can experiment with rotations and play-calling, it will be interesting to see how all the new faces perform.
