After a relaxing yet reflective bye week, Ole Miss will face Oklahoma on Saturday, looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking loss to LSU two weeks prior.
Ole Miss and Oklahoma have never faced each other in a regular season game. Their only meeting occurred on Dec. 31, 1999, during a postseason bowl game, in which the Rebels secured a 27-25 victory in Shreveport, La.
The Rebels go into this game ranked as the No. 18 team in the AP Top 25 poll. Quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Tre Harris both still lead the SEC in passing yards and receiving yards per game, respectively.
The team’s offense as a whole has been questionable, however, as the play calling has been boom or bust.
Dart had 42 pass attempts, and the team as a whole had 42 rush attempts against LSU, with some of those coming from Dart’s improvisational skills. The main problem is Dart sometimes forces the ball down the field, only checking down when he absolutely has to.
A bright spot from the LSU game was running back Ulysses Bentley IV finally getting a significant amount of carries in a game, totaling 107 yards and a touchdown.
“It felt great, man, just to be back out there with those guys,” Bentley said to the Daily Journal. “I definitely showed a lot of emotion. I was definitely excited.”
The Rebel defense, on the other hand, has exceeded all expectations. The linebacker duo of TJ Dottery and Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. might be one of the best in the country, combining for 89 tackles and three-and-a-half sacks.
This goes along with one of the best interior defensive line duos as well, with JJ Pegues and Walter Nolen having 47 tackles and three sacks. As a whole, the Ole Miss defense has 469 tackles, 24 sacks and seven interceptions on the season.
Oklahoma is coming off a poor performance against South Carolina, losing 35-9. Quarterback Jackson Arnold, who was benched earlier this season, came back into the game, throwing the Sooners’ lone touchdown.
For the whole game, Arnold threw for 225 yards — an okay performance. The problem for Oklahoma’s offense is inconsistent performances from key players.
The Sooners’ defense is not the main issue, recording 33 tackles and six sacks against the Gamecocks alone. If Oklahoma can stay consistent on offense, the Sooners could pose a real problem for the Rebels.
Ole Miss will take on the Oklahoma Sooners at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, with the game kicking off at 11 a.m. and streaming on ESPN.
