First Road Game Of The Year
Following four straight home games to start 2024 the Kentucky Wildcats leave the friendly confines of Kroger Field. That first away game certainly won’t be an easy one. In a Noon kickoff (11:00 am local time) on ABC the Wildcats face one of the top teams in college football. Let’s look at both teams and give you some history and a prediction as Kentucky travels to Oxford to face Ole Miss.
Getting Back On Track
Mark Stoops’ squad broke a streak of 153 minutes of game time without finding the end zone when they broke through against Ohio. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye took it in from a yard out. That was so much fun the offense scored three more times in a much-needed rout. On the day Bush Hamdan’s group put up 488 yards of total offense, (206 on the ground and 282 in the air.) That included a career-high 237 for Brock Vandagriff.
On Monday night’s coaches show Stoops said Ohio State transfer Chip Trayanum had been medically cleared to play. The running back broke his hand near the end of training camp. Originally the staff thought he might be back by the Georgia game. However, that didn’t happen and he looks to make a big splash against Ole Miss.
In his absence, Demie has rushed for 274 yards while Jamarion Wilcox had a career-high 82 last week. They’ll need all hands on deck as they face the “Lane Train.” Speaking of Kiffin let’s look at his club as Kentucky travels to Oxford to face Ole Miss.
Scouting The Rebels
The Rebels are 4-0 and are ranked sixth in the country. They lead the nation in many offensive categories. It includes total yards a game (670.8), passing yards a contest (422.8), and scoring offense (55.0 per game) and is 12th in rushing yards a game (248.0). Kiffin’s Rebels have put 76, 52, 40, and 52 points on the scoreboard in four blowout victories.
The offense is led by Heisman candidate Jaxson Dart. So far in 2024, Dart is first in passing yards at 388.5 and tied for fourth in touchdowns with 12. In addition, his completion percentage is a ridiculous 79.8 percent hitting 95 of 119 passes with only two interceptions.
His favorite target is wide receiver Tre Harris. On the season the senior has 38 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns. His receptions and yards lead the SEC and his touchdowns rank third. Right behind Harris are two other really good receivers. Antwane Wells Jr. and Cayden Lee have combined for 28 receptions, 530 yards, and five touchdowns.
Not One Dimensional
Ole Miss isn’t just a passing squad as Miami (Florida) transfer Henry Parrish Jr. is fourth in the league with 427 yards and third in touchdowns with seven. Another back, Matt Jones has 200 yards on the ground and three scores.
On the other side of the ball, the defense ranks ninth in the nation giving up 239 yards a game. While, they are only allowing 5.5 points a game, tied for the top spot with Texas. Chris Paul Jr. leads the group with 29 tackles, six for a loss, and two sacks.
Now that we’ve talked about both squads let’s look at some recent meetings and series overall as Kentucky travels to Oxford.
Series History
Saturday marks the 45th time the Rebels and Wildcats have met on the gridiron. Overall Ole Miss leads the series 29-14 with one tie. The Rebels have won three in a row and four of the last six. In fact, each one went down to the wire. In 2017 Jordan Ta’amu found D.K. Metcalf in the end zone with five seconds left giving the Rebels a 37-34 win.
Three years and also played in Lexington the game went into overtime. Terry Wilson took it 10 yards for a score, however UK missed the extra point. On the Rebels possession, a three-yard strike from Matt Corral to Elijah Moore tied the game. Ole Miss made the extra point for a 42-41 win.
Two years ago mistakes galore cost the Cats a win. UK missed two extra points, had a safety, and lost fumbles on their last two drives. Despite that, they still had a chance to win. Will Levis hit Dane Key on an apparent game-winning seven-yard touchdown. Unfortunately, it was called back due to an illegal motion penalty resulting in a three-point loss. Kentucky’s last win over the Rebels came in 2011 30-13.
As we do every week it’s prediction time as Kentucky travels to Oxford to battle Ole Miss.
Who Wins On Saturday?
While Ole Miss is 4-0 on the year they truly haven’t been tested. The combined records of those teams are 5-10. In addition, Kentucky’s been through two SEC wars while this is Ole Miss’s first conference game. Kiffin, who is always good for a quote said about Kentucky, “When they’re motivated to play, they play really good.” Whether he meant that as a slight or not you can be assured that’s bulletin board material.
Ole Miss is currently a 17.5-point favorite on Saturday. They look like a playoff team. Kentucky’s had their chances in the last three meetings, but have nothing to show for it. The Cats are without question the best defense Ole Miss has seen. Almost 60 years to the day Kentucky beat number one Ole Miss on the road 27-21. The Cats would love to do it again. Although, it’s hard to see UK pulling the upset.
Ole Miss 38-20
Thanks for checking out our preview here at Last Word On College Football. We’ll be back with a recap after the game.
