Kickoff Keys to the Game: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt

OXFORD, Miss. — It’s Halloween, a Blue Moon, and 2020……so you know there is something big brewing on this Rebel business trip up I-40 to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (0-3). 

Ole Miss stands at (1-4) after losing to Auburn, 35-28, (some of that at the hands of some sketchy officiating).  To top it off, the Rebels walked away with more than a loss as Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was fined $25K by the SEC after he called out the refs via a retweet criticizing them for not reviewing a crucial play in the game. 

The biggest challenge for the Rebels is having the offense and defense clicking at the same time, and with one of the toughest schedules, there isn’t a lot of opportunity to work on the kinks game by game. 

On the other side of the field, you have a team in the Commodores who is in a far worse predicament. Head coach Derek Mason’s team has been plagued by the COVID outbreak, playing with almost the bare minimum. Vandy is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry — along with two turnovers per game — and their true freshman QB Ken Seals is having a heck of a time finding his authority over this offense. 

So what’s its going to take for the Rebels to get off to a great start in the second half of this season?  

Here are your Kickoff Keys to the Game against Vandy.

If anything, this season has shown teams they can’t take any game lightly, no matter who the opponent. The same mentality must be at the forefront today for Coach Kiffin and the Rebels. I heard a high school coach say ‘If your mind is right, you’re going to play right.’ You have to focus on what you have to do each play and attack it. I don’t think it could be put more simply than that. Today it’s about balance and execution, translating what you practice and preach into action on the field.

Keep The Offensive Momentum Strong

Vandy isn’t coming in with much of a defense, ranking near the bottom in most categories. But the key for the Rebels here will be to put points on the board quickly, control the clock, and strike via the air and the ground, putting pressure on the Vandy defense and hopefully wearing out the Commodores. 

Finish what you start and control the tempo and the tone!

Bring Defense

The Ole Miss defense has played much better as of late, and we have seen a glimpse of the Landsharks making some big plays and getting some big stops. There will be no better place to continue this than putting the fright into a rookie Vandy signal-caller and getting him flustered. Rebel defense, you need to win the one-on-one battles and make every play count. 

The Rebel defense has forced a turnover in four of their five games this season and is tied for fourth in the SEC in fumbles recovered. Sam Williams is tied for second in the league with six tackles for loss, averaging 1.20 per game.

Create Opportunities

Continuing the theme of ‘every play counts,’ the Rebs need to make sure to settle into this game and control their play from start to finish, which means creating opportunities when it comes to winning the turnover and third and fourth-down conversion battles. 

This Ole Miss team is on the verge of something bigger; I can feel it.  All they need to do is play a complete game, from start to finish, both offense and defense, and they can turn things around the second stretch of the season. 

This has been one hell of a peculiar year for football, so the Rebels definitely can’t disregard the Commodores. This is a good time to start working on gelling as a team and playing a complete game.

I have the Rebels Tricking and Treating in Nashville, 36-14, over the Commodores! Happy Halloween, Rebels! All Aboard!

Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo

Lee Ann is the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She is a veteran SEC sports journalist and NFL content writer. She is also the Sr. Editor for MESPORTS digital. Herring-Olvedo is a Brown University graduate who loves good cigars, good games, and a smooth glass of bourbon — not necessarily in that order.