Opportunity on the Bayou

Today is October 21st 2022 and the Ole Miss Rebels are 7-0. While this is very exciting, it shouldn’t be all that surprising given the way our schedule was laid out. We looked at the schedule all summer long and attempted to predict how the season would go. The first half of the schedule was very favorable, while the second half looks like a gauntlet. We knew, however, that as long as we were able to beat Kentucky and Auburn at home that we would be heading to Baton Rouge 7-0. We did just that, and here we are with the most difficult part of our schedule ahead of us.

We seem to learn something new about this team every week as we continue to make improvements. Our rushing attack has been incredible and was electric on Saturday against Auburn. We ran for 448 yards and had 3 different players with 115+ rushing yards. I’ve been saying that we have the best running back duo all year, and it may not be a hot take anymore. With that being said, I do believe that in the upcoming weeks, as our schedule gets infinitely more difficult, we won’t have the luxury to run the ball 66 times and throw 19 times, like we did against Auburn (demoralizing). The time will come when Dart will need to go win the game with his arm, and I welcome that moment. While we’ve asked him to contribute to the run game this season, we mostly have asked that he not turn the ball over and manage the game. He’s done a damn good job so far and shown flashes of being a really special player. I believe we’ve got a junkyard dog chained up, and it may be time to cut him loose.

I still find myself being taken back and having to remind myself just how brand new this team is. So far this season nearly 95% of the Rebels offense have come from transfers or true freshman, Quinshon Judkins (WOW). That is not to mention all the new faces on the defensive side of the ball. With this in mind, you naturally would expect some hiccups to start the season, and they’ve happened. We’ve seen great first half starts with lousy second half performances (Troy, Tulsa, Kentucky) and lousy first half starts with great second half finishes (Vanderbilt). We’ve seen every unit play really well at times, and also seen them struggle at some point. The defense has me singing praises for first year defensive coordinator, Chris Partridge, and then Auburn runs for over 300 yards. It leaves me saying week in and week out, “If we can just put it all together, this team can be really really good” (easier said than done). The truth is that nobody knows (including us) exactly what this team is capable of this season, which is the main reason I’m thankful the schedule fell the way that it did. We’ve had some time to work out kinks, try different things, build confidence, figure out how to play together, and ultimately win as a team. While this has been advantageous for us, it also gives the teams on the rest of our schedule time to improve. For instance the LSU team we will face on Saturday is nowhere near the same team that Florida State faced on Labor Day, or even that Tennessee faced two weeks ago. You hope that we’ve had enough time to work out those kinks, because we’ll have our hands full on Saturday in a rowdy Death Valley.

The Bayou Bengals have had their ups and downs this season through seven games, but they are certainly not a team to overlook. While they have two loses, only one is in conference. Winning the SEC, while far fetched, is still on the table for this team. I say that to say, they have a ton to play for at home on Saturday in Brian Kelly’s first Magnolia bowl. They are coming off a huge, much needed, win at Florida that appeared to be a turning point in their season. Jayden Daniels played his best game of the season by far. They responded to their offensive struggles by finally getting some of their dynamic receivers involved and moving the ball with a balanced attack. They racked up 528 total yards and 45 points in a win where they seemed to play with great energy, and gain some much needed confidence. While they seem to have possibly solved their issues on the offense, lets just keep in mind that Anthony Richardson was able to dice them up for 350 yards through the air, as the Gators hung 42 points in their hard fought loss. LSU will come back home to redeem their miserable performance against Tennessee, and there is nothing they would love more than to keep things rolling and ruin our perfect season. We’ve yet to play in a loud road environment this year, and what better place to start with than Tiger Stadium? With A&M and Arkansas remaining on the road schedule, it should be interesting to see how Jaxson Dart and the Rebels respond to that. As Lane likes to say, we’ll need to pack our run game and defense, and of course get your popcorn ready.

What an opportunity for Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels. An opportunity to go 8-0, an opportunity to learn about what we're made of, and an opportunity to make 100,000+ hopeful Tiger fans go home crying. We’re 7-0 and, as college football analyst Josh Pate likes to say, all of our goals are in front of us. For now the goal is to go 1-0 this week. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Hotty Toddy!

REBELS KEYS TO VICTORY:

1.) FAST START

Obviously you would like to start fast in every game, but falling behind early in Death Valley would be dangerous. Momentum is so real, especially on the road in an environment like this. Don’t let them get the momentum early, and don’t give them any confidence.

2.) 3rd and 4th down conversions

One thing about Lane that I personally love is that he goes for it a lot on 4th and short situations. Outside of the analytic nerds telling you it’s the right move, I like that it opens up the playbook on 3rd down when you know you’ve got two plays. You might find me complaining about the play call, but rarely will you find me complaining about the decision to go for it. With that being said, these plays are so monumental. Get it and keep the sticks moving, come up short and hear the roar of Tiger Stadium take all the momentum. Feels like a HUGE swing because it is. In what I expect to be a close game, we’ll need to convert these at a high level.

3.) Play Aggressive

Herm Edwards said it best, “You play to win the game.” This is not the time to play it safe and play not to lose. That’s how you get beat. Stay aggressive, and don’t let up. While I expect to have a heavy dose of our two running backs, don't forget about the deep ball.

SCORE PREDICTION:

WARNING: If you have heart problems have a doctor on standby. If you are prone to panic attacks use the buddy system, and pray for the Rebel kicker Johnathon Cruz's mother. I am predicting one of those games. I think Johnathon Cruz hits a game winning field goal as the Rebs escape with a win.

Ole Miss 41

LSU 38