Seven things to know about the Ole Miss Rebels
Kentucky returns to action this week as they’ll welcome the Ole Miss Rebels to Lexington for the first time since 2011. This will be the 43rd meeting all-time between the SEC programs as the Rebels lead the series 27-14-1.
The Wildcats will be returning to game action pretty bruised up after a very physical victory over Tennessee. But they could catch a break this week as the Rebs will spread it out and throw it more than any other team UK has seen this fall.
It’s been a rough year for interim head coach Matt Luke as Ole Miss has a bowl ban hanging over their heads, lost their starting quarterback for the season, and currently sit at 3-5 with only one victory in conference play. The Rebs have glaring issues on defense, but first year offensive coordinator Phil Longo has one of the most exciting offenses in the country and they love to ramp up the tempo.
As always, here is everything you need to know about Ole Miss. For UK to pick up their first winning season in the SEC since 1977, this game is a Wildcats must win. Here are all things you need to know about the 2017 Ole Miss Rebels.
Junior College Quarterback
Last week, Jordan Ta’amu joined Stephen Johnson as the only two starting SEC quarterbacks in 2017 that hailed from junior college. Ole Miss had a history of success under Hugh Freeze with junior college quarterbacks as both Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly made pit stops before finishing their careers in Oxford. For the sixth consecutive season, a junior college prospect has started behind center for Ole Miss.
Ta’amu, a Hawaii native, received his first extensive playing time of the season in the second half of the LSU loss as the junior went 7-for-11 through the air for 78 yards while chipping in 20 yards on the ground. In his first start last week against Arkansas, Ta’amu went 20-for-30 for 388 yards as well as rushing for 76 yards on nine carries. This offense does a good job of putting its quarterbacks in good positions and the scheme is designed for them to put up numbers.
Ta’amu has done a good job when called upon. He appears to be a better runner than Shea Patterson and his ability to tuck it makes this Ole Miss rushing attack much more dynamic. Ta’amu cannot stretch the field with his arm like Patterson could, but he’s done a good job distributing to the playmakers in a small sample size.
Olé Rush Defense
On the year, Ole Miss is giving up 260.5 yards per game on the ground. That’s good for 127th in the country. That’s not great.
The only other Power Five program that is worse is UCLA who is giving up 307.1 rushing yards per game. For the year, every opponent has ran for at least 163 yards against the Rebels and three SEC opponents have ran for over 300 yards against this front seven. Defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff was brought over in the offseason and this group is really struggling get off blocks and make tackles. Each opponent has averaged over four yards per carry and Ole Miss has given up 19 touchdowns on the ground. Ole Miss has played a 4-2-5 scheme much of the year but showed some odd fronts against Arkansas in attempt to stiffen against the run. The Hogs ran for 260 yards, but it did take them over 50 carries.
The opportunity for another big day on the ground will be there for Benny Snell and this Kentucky rushing attack.
Elite Receiver Group
Entering the season, Ole Miss had the talent to be one of the best wide receiver groups in the country. The Rebels were young, but there was a ton of talent in this position group and Phil Longo’s offense was going to give these athletes plenty of chances to make plays.
They have not disappointed.
A.J. Brown leads the way as the true sophomore for 41 catches, 765 yards, and six touchdowns. You’d be hard pressed to find a better receiver than Brown and he’ll be a first round draft pick in 2019.
It doesn’t stop with Brown, however, as the Rebs have four other players that have received at least 47 targets. Ole Miss has size and speed and they present a very unique challenge to each secondary they face. Van Jefferson serves as the team’s possession receiver as he’s averaging 12 yards per catch. When the Rebels go deep, the ball is either going to Brown or junior DaMarkus Lodge. Lodge averages over 18 yards per catch and has scored six touchdowns. Don’t forget about redshirt freshman D.K. Metcalf who leads the team in targets and has pulled in 40 catches for 479 yards.
All but one of these receivers have more yards than Kentucky’s leading receiver and this is one of the best passing attacks in the FBS. In his only start, Ta’amu sprayed the ball all over the yard and did not seemed locked in on one player. UK’s secondary will have a big challenge this Saturday.
Turnover Battle
In a football game at any level, nothing swings the momentum more than turnovers. It’s hard to find a team that is successful that doesn’t win this battle as the season progresses. It’s a two-way street as you need your offense to take care of the football and for your defense to produce some takeaways. A lot of times this differential can be the difference between a 4-8 year and an 8-4 years.
Entering the 2017 campaign, most everyone knew that Ole Miss was going to score some points but was going to have a very difficult time stopping anyone. Therefore, the Rebs were going to need to come up big in the turnover department for interim head coach Matt Luke to have any kind of shot at the full-time gig.
They’ve failed miserably at this.
Ole Miss currently sits at minus-six in turnover margin and that is good for 13th in the SEC. The Ole Miss defense that likes to call themselves the Landsharks made a living off of forcing turnovers when they were competing SEC West divisional titles. So far through eight games, this Ole Miss defense has only forced seven turnovers. That’s not bad, but when you give up as many yards as the Rebs do, it’s imperative that you come away with more takeaways.
The real problem for Ole Miss has been their inability to hold onto the ball. Interceptions have been a huge problem as both Patterson and Ta’amu have thrown it to the other team at a high clip. When it comes to wins and losses, interceptions have been the key. In their two FBS wins (South Alabama and Vanderbilt), Ole Miss has thrown eight touchdowns to go with zero interceptions. In their five losses to FBS teams, Ole Miss has thrown four touchdowns and nine interceptions. This offense has moved the ball on everyone not named Alabama, but Interceptions are the one thing that keeps getting in this group’s way.
It will be imperative for UK to come away with some picks on Saturday.
One Man Backfield
Under Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss was notoriously known for their inability to run the football. The Rebs were consistently at the bottom of the SEC in rushing yards and attempts and have not had a thousand yard rusher since 2009.
That trend is probably going to continue in 2017, but Jordan Wilkins is giving Ole Miss its best running back play in quite awhile. The senior from the Memphis area had to miss 2016 due to an academic suspension after rushing for 379 yards and averaging over five yards per carry in 2015. After a slow start, he’s put up three 100-yard games in the last five contests.
The ground game for Longo’s unit was nonexistent in the first five weeks as the Rebels averaged only 76 yards per game. However, Wilkins ran for 101 yards against Alabama and the ground game has taken off since that point. Ole Miss has now run for at least 150 yards in three straight games and that has to due with getting Wilkins rolling.
Outside of the senior, backup Eric Swinney has been hit or miss and D’Vaughn Pennamon has really not given Ole Miss much of anything. This rushing attack lives with Wilkins. Add in the fact that Ta’amu is a legit runner from the quarterback position and this is now a very dangerous ground game.
Solid Special Teams
It’s becoming a theme in 2017, but once again UK will be facing an opponent who is very solid in the third phase. Gary Wunderlich is one of the best kickers in the conference and he’s hit 12-of-15 field goals on the year. The Rebels have two punters that are averaging over 40 yards per attempt. Kick returner Jaylon Jones is one of the best in the SEC and he already has a return touchdown on the season.
Special teams could once again determine the winner/loser on Saturday.
Someone Has To Cover
Per records against the spread, both Kentucky and Ole Miss are towards the bottom of the barrel. The Wildcats and the Rebels currently both sit at 2-6 against the number this season. Someone has to cover on Saturday as the Wildcats are currently favored by 3.5 points.
In the last two seasons, Ole Miss has been a single-digit underdog four times. They have yet to post a cover in any of these situations and have lost each game by double-digits. Three of these contests have been SEC games.
Under Mark Stoops, Kentucky is now 6-0 in SEC games where they are favored but they are only 3-3 against the spread. In wins over Missouri and Tennessee, the Wildcats won but failed to cover the number.
On Saturday, someone’s streak is going to be broken.