Pete Golding’s Ole Miss team keeps walking into big games without much of a chance to catch its breath. The Rebels have already faced four ranked opponents, beaten three of them, and built one of the strongest resumes in the country. Now comes another test, this one in Austin against a Texas team that has taken a sharp fall from No. 1 to No. 19 after back-to-back losses.
A few weeks ago, this trip looked like Ole Miss’ shot to take down the nation’s top team. That picture has changed fast.
On paper, the Rebels are the more comfortable side entering the matchup, but the assignment is still a difficult one in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Ole Miss has a real chance to put the final blow on Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, yet Texas still has enough talent to make this one messy.
The clearest edge for Ole Miss starts up front. The Rebels have surrendered only five sacks this season, while Texas has given up 17.
That number puts the focus squarely on how the Ole Miss front seven can affect Arch Manning and disrupt whatever Sarkisian wants to script early. The Texas offensive line has been shaky enough to give the Rebels a real opening to hit the quarterback quickly and repeatedly.
Blake Purchase is the name to watch in the pass rush. He leads Ole Miss with 3.5 sacks, and he could add to that total here.
Still, the way Texas has struggled to block inside means Will Echoles could be in line for a big afternoon as well. On the other side, Colin Simmons already has 10.5 sacks, but he may not get many chances to matter if the Ole Miss line controls the action the way it has all season.
That front has earned Golding’s praise, with Patrick Kutas, Connor Howes and Terez Davis all drawing notice for their work in the trenches. Trinidad Chambliss has also shown the kind of escape ability that can turn pressure into frustration for a defense.
There’s a real possibility he never gets touched by a Texas rusher. If he does go down, Ole Miss would probably prefer it to happen after a big play, maybe even a touchdown.
Deuce Alexander is another Rebel who should be in line for a rebound. He hasn’t often been the kind of receiver who beats himself, but his last outing against Missouri was a rough one.
Alexander finished with just three catches for 20 yards and had a hard time securing the ball, with passes bouncing off his hands more than sticking. Even so, Caleb Cunningham and the revived Ole Miss run game were there to cover for him.
That kind of support matters, but Alexander’s level of play suggests he can bounce back in a hurry. Expect him to give Texas’ secondary problems and put the Missouri performance behind him.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Gets One More Jolt Of Hype Before Texas Showdown
The No. 7 Rebels head to Austin for a ranked SEC showdown with No. 19 Texas that already carries real College Football Playoff weight, and the pregame buzz has only grown louder. The Longhorns are dealing with notable absences in Colin Simmons and Hollywood Smothers, while the quarterback situation has also been unsettled enough that backup KJ Lacey Jr. has been getting more first-team reps than usual.
Ole Miss has also picked up a little extra fuel from the national conversation, with several familiar voices weighing in on the matchup. Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Dalton Kincaid have all offered predictions for the game, and most of them landed on the Rebels as the team more likely to leave Austin with a win. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Gets A Chance To Prove A Popular Model Wrong
ESPNs SP+ model is leaning toward Texas in this weekends SEC matchup with Ole Miss, even as the Longhorns arrive on a two-game losing streak and the Rebels carry plenty of momentum of their own. It is the kind of prediction that adds a little extra edge to a game that already has plenty riding on it, especially with both teams trying to shape the bigger picture in conference play.
For Ole Miss, the matchup offers more than a chance to bank another important SEC win. It is also an opportunity to challenge a computer projection that sees Texas as the better bet on paper, and those kinds of games tend to say as much about where a team really stands as they do about the scoreboard. Around the league, SP+ has plenty of other Week 8 calls lined up too, but this one stands out because it pits current form against a model that still favors the Longhorns. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Pressure Is Suddenly Rising Before Ole Miss Showdown
The Texas Longhorns have gone from the top spot in the rankings to No. 19 after back-to-back losses, and the fallout has put Arch Manning squarely in the middle of the conversation ahead of the upcoming Ole Miss matchup. Even with a passer rating above 150 in each of the last two games, the bigger issue has been the turnovers, which have undercut Texas at the worst possible times and turned a promising season into one suddenly searching for answers.
Josh Pate raised the possibility that Manning could be on a shorter leash moving forward, a sign of how quickly the pressure can build when losses pile up. For Ole Miss, the situation adds another layer of intrigue to a game that already carries plenty of weight, because the quarterback Texas puts on the field could come in with more scrutiny than ever and little room for another costly mistake. [Read more 🡒]