Four Keys to an Ole Miss Win over the Razorbacks

OXFORD, Miss. — The No. 16 Rebels host Arkansas today in another important SEC West matchup. Each week, we take a look at four keys to an Ole Miss win. Here are our thoughts for the matchup against the Hogs. 

Contain Hogs’ QB KJ Jefferson

KJ Jefferson is a dynamic playmaker — with both his arm and legs. However, he has not dealt with pressure from opposing defenses all that well this season. 

With a clean pocket, Jefferson has completed 71% of his passes with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Under pressure, though, his completion percentage has dipped to 52% with just two touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Ole Miss needs to be able to not only pressure Jefferson but get home. The Arkansas offensive line has allowed 19 of 54 (35%) QB pressures to end in a sack. Not getting home will allow Jefferson to extend plays, either by scrambling or finding a receiver downfield. This is yet another game, following on the heels of playing LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, where the Rebels are facing a dynamic quarterback who can do it all, making defensive fundamentals all that more important.

Play physical and fundamentally sound football

Ole Miss’ matchups with Arkansas are always physical. As we’ve said, Jefferson is a big, physical quarterback who often requires multiple players to take him down. Running back Rocket Sanders is a dangerous player who can also do damage on the ground if the defense isn’t fundamentally sound. Through five games, Ole Miss has missed 59 tackles according to PFF.com. 

The same goes for the Ole Miss offense. The Rebels did a great job of playing physical last week but will need to replicate that this week against Arkansas. The Rebels accumulated 706 yards of offense against LSU, and 473 of those 706 yards came from yards after contact running the ball and yards after the catch. We all know it starts in the trenches, so it’s up to both the Ole Miss offensive and defensive lines to set the tone for the game.

Let It Rip

At the helm of the SEC’s top scoring offense, Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart has made tremendous strides from his first to second season at Ole Miss. 

Through five games, Dart has completed 91 of 142 (64%) passes while throwing for 1,485 yards with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Those stats are comparable to some of the other quarterbacks who have been dubbed as Heisman candidates this year. He also has an impressive ESPN total QBR of 85.7, a huge jump from last season’s 73.6. 

Dart has a full disposal of weapons now with running backs Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV both having their best games of the season last weekend. And of course there’s Dart’s own rushing ability that will force the Arkansas defense on its heels. 

Speaking of weapons, the Rebels have three wide receivers with more than 340 receiving yards apiece. Jordan Watkins has been the most consistent wideout (29 catches, 450 yards), but Tre Harris is the big-play threat averaging 21.3 yards a catch with six touchdowns en route to 341 total receiving yards on 16 receptions. Dayton Wade has notched 23 receptions for 367 yards and two TDs. Tight end Caden Prieskorn has made his presence known, both in his blocking and with his hands. He converted three huge third-downs for the Rebels with receptions against LSU and is averaging 15.5 yards per reception. 

In games against Arkansas, we all know anything can happen. But with Dart leading the charge, Ole Miss has the upper hand if it comes down to being an offensive shootout again this week.

Leave Last Week in the Past

In a conference like the SEC, big wins are certainly nice but hanging on to them can hurt a team. All week long, Ole Miss players indicated while they were happy with the win over LSU, they had put it behind them and were working on improving for the Arkansas game. The Rebels still have a ton to prove with seven regular season games left, six of which are against SEC opponents. Ole Miss needs to keep its head down, show the rest of the country what the Rebs are all about, and build on last week’s success. Another win at home would be huge for Ole Miss, meaning they would finish the first half of SEC play 5-1. They would then enjoy a bye week before hitting the road to play Auburn.

Hotty Toddy!