After a hot start to the season, Ole Miss is slated to face off against Georgia Southern in week four as both teams close out their non-conference games. The Rebels sit at a perfect 3-0, outscoring their last three opponents 168-9.
After playing a good game against a tough Boise State team in which they lost 56-45 in week one, Georgia Southern bounced back with wins against Nevada 20-17 and South Carolina State 42-14. This will also be the first time that Georgia Southern faces a Top Five-ranked opponent in six years.
The Eagles are led by former University of Southern California Head Coach Clay Helton. He has guided the Eagles to decent seasons the past two years, securing two bowl game berths but losing them both.
Helton was hired by Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin at USC as the quarterbacks coach in 2010. In 2013, Kiffin promoted Helton to offensive coordinator, which then led to the head coach job for the Trojans in 2015.
Helton has plenty of experience against top teams. As head coach, he has 12 wins over Top 25 teams, with four in the Top 10 and three in the Top Five.
Georgia Southern uses a pass-heavy offense with sophomore quarterback JC French amassing nearly 800 passing yards this season. Its rushing attack leaves much to be desired with only 321 rushing yards through three games.
Ole Miss is a much more balanced offense with over 1,300 passing yards and almost 800 rushing yards so far this season. Quarterback Jaxson Dart leads all of college football in total passing yards with 1,172, almost 150 more yards than the next closest quarterback. Next to Tennessee, Ole Miss is also the second-highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 56 points per game.
Ole Miss’ defense also looks stout, allowing only nine points this season and just 33 rushing yards per game; the Rebels have the top rushing defense in the nation.
The Rebels have one more non-conference game to prove themselves as a talented and competitive SEC opponent.
Ole Miss is currently the favorite by 36 points heading into Saturday’s game, but with Helton’s experience as head coach in big games, this could be a trap for the Rebels.
Kickoff for the game is 6:45 p.m., and will air on the SEC Network.
