Four Keys to an Ole Miss win over Texas A&M

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss hosts A&M today with kickoff set for 11:00 a.m. CT. The No. 10 Rebels are 7-1, 4-1 SEC, and are looking to stay in the hunt for an SEC West title. Here are four keys to an Ole Miss win over the Aggies, who are 5-3 overall, 3-2 in the SEC.

It All Starts Up Front

This a game that will likely be won or lost in the trenches. The Ole Miss defensive front seven has been playing at a high level lately. The Rebels have had five games in which they have sacked the opposing quarterback at least four times. 

On the flip side, the offensive front has allowed opponents to sack Dart four or more times in three different games. It won’t solely be a matter of sacks, though. Both sides of the ball will have to show up and play physical and win at the point of attack, and the Rebels need to limit penalties such as offensive holding.

Ole Miss needs to be able to keep Dart clean and open up rushing lanes for Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV. Texas A&M bolsters a roster with a ton of talent up front, making this game a huge test for the Rebels.

Air It Out

In the last three games, Ole Miss has tallied just three passing touchdowns — compared to the 13 passing touchdowns in the first five games of the season. Thankfully, as of late, the run game has started to be more effective but this week a one-dimensional offense won’t get the job done. 

Jaxson Dart and company will have to be on their game this week against an A&M defense that is giving up under 200 passing yards a game and under 100 rushing yards per game. The Aggies lead the SEC in total defense, giving up an average of just 269 yards per game. 

To go along with that, A&M is ranked seventh nationally in third down defense as the Aggies are holding opponents to just a 29% conversion rate. In a remarkable statistic Coach Kiffin mentioned this week, A&M is holding its opponent to an average of 3rd and 9.5 yards. Falling that far behind in the chains is not ideal against this defense. 

All that said, the Ole Miss passing attack has shown what it is capable of this season with a few dominant performances but will need to show it in a big way against the Aggies. The good thing for the Rebels is they are multi-dimensional on offense. If you load the box to stop Jackson Dart and Quinshon Judkins, the Rebels can pick you apart. If you spread it out to take away the short passes for chunk yards, Ole Miss can run it for seven or eight yards at a time. 

Carpe Diem

In a game of this magnitude at this point in the season, every little mistake will be magnified. The Rebels have to take advantage of any mistakes by Texas A&M. Defensively, Ole Miss needs to take the ball away when the opportunity arises. 

The fans will also play a big part in the game, creating a home field advantage that has already proved to be a difference maker this season. Flash back to LSU when the Tigers had trouble hearing in the closing moments of the game. Coach Kiffin has declared on more than one occasion that the home crowd was the difference in that game. 

Taking care of the football on offense is a must, which Ole Miss has done a good job of to this point, but is always important. Opportunities like this are few and far between. Playing a division opponent at home with postseason implications…what more could you ask for? Seize. The. Day.

Account for A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper

Texas A&M has a star in linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. He leads the team in tackles (52), tackles for loss (15) and sacks (6.5). Cooper simply makes plays all over the field. Ole Miss will have to know where he is at all times. He lines up mainly in the box but is used in a multitude of ways. He will line up on the edge and in the slot some, but regardless, requires extra attention. Help on blocking from a tight end in the run game and a running back in the pass game will be a must. Cooper can change a game. He has to be accounted for.