As we approach the end of October, the college football landscape is beginning to look clearer. This is also true when you start to look towards the College Football Playoff. And while this week’s slate isn’t the best we’ve seen, there are still plenty of solid matchups. One of the best of those is likely to be Ole Miss vs Oklahoma.
Both teams come into this one at 6-1. For Oklahoma, they’re coming off a 26-7 blowout win over South Carolina. On the other side, Ole Miss is reeling just a bit, following a tough 43-35 loss at Georgia. And despite both teams having plenty of success, they do it in different ways.
Then there’s the fact that the Rebels have never lost to Oklahoma on the gridiron. Granted, there’s only been two meetings. And just for good measure, there’s a portion of the college football world that views this as an elimination game for the playoff.
So can Oklahoma finally get a win over Ole Miss, or can the Rebels stay undefeated against the Sooners and get things back on track?
Previewing Ole Miss vs Oklahoma
Can the Oklahoma Defense Stand Strong Against the Rebel Offense?
It starts on the defensive side of the ball for the Sooners. Apart from an inexplicably bad performance against Texas two weeks ago, they’ve looked elite all season long. Even though it’s been against a favorable schedule, they’ve still looked good. They’re going to have to keep that up against an Ole Miss offense that has the potential to put up points in a hurry. That starts with keeping Trinidad Chambliss in check, especially on the ground. Although he’s still relatively new as a starter, Chambliss has demonstrated his ability as a dual-threat quarterback. The way Georgia slowed him down last week was by not allowing him to escape the pocket. Because while he can make open throws, he has shown a tendency to struggle hitting deeper throws that require more pinpoint accuracy. If they can make Chambliss beat them with his arm, they will likely be in decent shape.
Then there’s stopping the run. Rebel running back Kewan Lacy has been really good for much of the year. He’s broken the 100-yard mark in three games so far. However, his season low came last week against the Bulldogs. And despite the struggles of Lacy and Chambliss on the ground, Ole Miss still put up 35 on a top-10 team.
The Sooner defense is going to have to come prepared because the Rebels can beat you in numerous ways. But the best way to slow them down is simply by stopping the run.
Questions About the Sooner Offense?
While the Oklahoma defense has been elite all year, there are some questions about the offense. They’re yet to break 26 points against a Power Four conference school. And against Texas, they managed only six points. Against Ole Miss, they’re likely going to need to up those numbers. The good news for Sooner fans is that the Rebel defense is the weakest part of their team.
Against Georgia, Ole Miss couldn’t get a single defensive stop. And the Bulldogs managed that by controlling the line of scrimmage. They were able to run the ball whenever they wanted to, and Gunner Stockton had as long as he wanted to find open receivers. If Oklahoma can find similar success in the trenches against a shaky Ole Miss defensive front and give John Mateer enough time to throw, they’re almost guaranteed to be able to score enough points to keep them in this one.
Keys For Ole Miss to Leave Norman with a Win
Put bluntly, they have to be a lot better on defense. Last week, they weren’t able to force a single stop. That simply can’t happen if you plan on winning games against good teams. The key to forcing stops for the Rebels is going to be similar to what it is for the Sooners. Mateer is a lot like Chambliss. If you can keep him in the pocket, you have the chance to get stops. He can certainly beat you through the air, but he also has a tendency to turn the ball over. In six games this season, he’s already thrown six interceptions. If Ole Miss can keep him in the pocket and force him to make tight throws, mistakes are likely.
For the Rebel offense, it’s a lot of what they’ve been doing. First off, avoiding turnovers. They’ve been extremely good at that over their past four games, with just two turnovers in that time. Next would be getting Chambliss more involved with his legs once again. They’ve struggled with that over the past two games. It needs to be brought back if they’re going to have real success.
Lastly is simply to keep feeding Lacy. If they can find success in the running game, everything within the offense runs smoothly and more efficiently. But that starts in the trenches. The offensive line has to perform better than they have over the past few weeks, especially against a talented Oklahoma front seven.
Ole Miss vs Oklahoma: Predictions
This is going to be a major test for the Rebels. They’re coming off their first loss of the season. They’re having to travel to a hostile environment against a really good team. And they’ve also had to deal with questions about whether Lane Kiffin is going to take another job this offseason. It’s a lot to overcome.
But if they can get back to playing decent football, especially on defense, it’s a winnable game. It’s almost certainly going to be a close one. It’s going to be physical. It will likely end up being a bit lower scoring than some people expect. But in Kiffin’s time at Ole Miss, the Rebels typically respond reasonably well to adversity. They don’t handle success all that well, but adversity is something they’ve been good with.
That being said, take Ole Miss to pick up a huge win on the road, and keep control of their playoff chances. Don’t expect it to be pretty, but at this point in the season, a win is a win.
Main Image: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
