Previews and Predictions: No. 6 Ole Miss vs. Middle Tennessee State

OXFORD, Miss. — The panel is back this week for another roundtable of predictions and previews as the Rebels host Middle Tennessee State after Lane Kiffiin’s bunch put forth a strong opening performance last weekend.

Ole Miss defeated Furman 76-0 after putting up 770+ yards of total offense, led by the performance of Jaxson Dart who threw for 418 passing yards and combined for 6 touchdowns through the air and on the ground. The defensive effort was stout for all four quarters, leaving Furman with just 172 total yards of offense. As a group, Ole Miss combined for 16 tackles for loss and four sacks. Trey Amos added an interception as well.

This is the second-ever matchup between the Rebels and the Blue Raiders. The last time these two met was in the Eli Manning era, with Ole Miss defeating Middle Tennessee State, 45-17, in 2001.

The Rebel Walk has put together a group of panelists who will weekly share their predictions for the upcoming game. Our panel brings a variety of backgrounds and perspectives that showcase many different point of views.

Game Details

• • Kickoff: Saturday, Sep. 7th at 3:15 PM CT
  • TV: SECN
  • Radio:
    • OleMissSports.com
    • Memphis: WHBQ-AM 560
    • Oxford: WOXF-FM 105.1
    • Jackson: WFMN-FM 97.3
• Betting Lines (as of Friday)
  • Ole Miss: -43
  • O/U: 63

Standings and Recap

Grayson Weir (BroBible): 4 Points

After correctly predicting that the Ole Miss defense would tally “no less than” four sacks, Grayson got himself some valuable points to start our predictions and preview. Chris Hardie and Kam Franklin both tallied 1.5 sacks while the duo of Chris “Pooh” Paul and Akelo Stone combined for one more to reach that four-sack threshold. Points awarded for game winner and prediction.

Tyler Komis (247 Sports): 4 Points

An anytime TD bet for Caden Preiskorn gets Tyler tied for first after week one. The senior tight end finished the game with three catches, 77 yards, and one touchdown. He found his way in for six on a 46-yard TD pass from Jaxson Dart in the second quarter of the 76-0 win. Points awarded for game winner and prediction.

Adam Brown (The Rebel Walk): 4 Points

Adam finds himself up on the leaderboard after finding a unique path to his prediction. In his prediction, he stated that Jaxson Dart would throw for over 135 passing yards and 2 or more passing touchdowns: the thought being the run game would dictate and Ole Miss wouldn’t have to rely on Dart for very long in the game. The Ole Miss signal caller made his mark though with 418 passing yards and 5 passing TDs in limited action. Points awarded for game winner and prediction.

Kam Wicker (The Rebel Walk): 1 Point

Kam earns a single point for accurately predicting Ole Miss as the winner. His prediction was that sophomore Cayden Lee would finish with >100 receiving yards. Lee would be second on the team in receptions and yards totaling 4 receptions and 77 yards.

Zach Moreth (The Rebel Walk): 1 Point

In Zach’s mention last week, he talks about the dominance of Tre Harris taking early command. He was spot on as Harris finished with 8 receptions for 179 yards and 2 TDs. However, Zach chose the defensive side of the ball for his bold prediction and Walter Nolen to finish over 1.5 sacks. He was awarded one point for accurately predicting the game winner.

TJ Oxley (The Rebel Walk): 1 Point

The power of phrasing comes into play here. Grayson’s use of “no less than” earned him three points to the leaderboard while I am lower down with a prediction of “over four rushing TDs.” In the 76-point win, Ole Miss rushed for exactly four rushing TDs with Matt Jones adding two himself. The others came from Jaxson Dart and JJ Pegues. Point awarded for accurately predicting the game winner.

Caleb Salers (Supertalk Mississippi): 1 Point

Lastly is Caleb, who also earns himself one point for accurately predicting the winner. Caleb’s prediction was that TJ Dottery would lead the team in tackles after drawing high praise throughout fall camp. Dottery did impress against Furman, having the highest run defense grades for linebackers against Furman. He was limited to only 21 snaps as Ole Miss began to use its depth early on.

Panel Predictions

Scoring: Each panel member can earn a total of six points per week.

• One point will be awarded for correctly picking the winning team outright.
• Two points will be awarded if the predicted score is within 7.5 points total. There is a caveat to this. For example, if a panel member says that a team wins the game 21-0 and that team loses 0-21, the total score is technically within 7.5 points. However, points will only be awarded if the score is close to the prediction (i.e. – a score of 24-3 has a total of 27 and is within 7.5 points of 21).
• Lastly, a panel member will be awarded three points if his prediction is correct.

With that being said let’s get to the predictions for the Middle Tennesse State game.

Grayson Weir – BroBible

Score: Ole Miss 38 — Middle Tennessee State 10

Prediction: Henry Parrish rushes for two touchdowns over 13 yards long

The Rebels are going to establish the run. Lane and Charlie Weis Jr want to get the run game going, which is going to keep scoring on the lower end. MTSU is a more formidable opponent than Furman, and the Blue Raiders will put some points on the board against the second string. Henry Parrish Jr. is going to out-gain Ulysses Bentley, scoring twice on runs over 13 yards.

Tyler Komis – Inside the Rebels

Score: Ole Miss 70 — Middle Tennessee State 3

Prediction: Juice Wells adds two TDs

Similar to last week, I have Ole Miss winning this one comfortably, as most do. It’s asking for a lot, but I do think the Rebels put up 70+ points again and don’t allow a touchdown. Easier said than done, coaches’ challenges and matching last week’s intensity, keeping their foot on the gas. This team seems laser focused on getting in what they need to do, then moving on to see what they have behind their starting core.

Kam Wicker  – The Rebel Walk

Score: Ole Miss 58 — Middle Tennessee State 6

Prediction: Henry Parrish Jr. rushes for 100+ yards and 2 TDs

The Rebel offesne is red hot and Jaxson Dart is bound for another great performance in the box score. Although rushing for over 200 yards as a team, I believe someone in the running back room will come to life this week with a big game, maybe even a pair of backs.

Zach Moreth – The Rebel Walk

Score: Ole Miss 66 – Middle Tennessee State 3

Prediction: Henry Parrish Jr. and Ulysses Bentley IV rush for a combined 200+ yards and total two TDs combined

The Rebels will take down Middle Tennessee State 66-3 with the run game being perfectly established just as Lane Kiffin wants. Henry Parrish, Jr. and Ulysses Bentley IV will rush for over 2oo yards and two touchdowns with the defense showing more flashes of dominance. Keep your eyes out to see if the Ole Miss defensive line can continue its dominance in week two.

Adam Brown – The Rebel Walk

Score: Ole Miss 62  – Middle Tennessee State 10

Prediction: Ole Miss continues to have a strong offensive performance as Jaxon Dart has 275 yards passing with 3 touchdowns. Caden Prieskorn finishes with two TDs on the day. 

Jaxson Dart continues to add to his yards throwing the ball on Saturday with another 250-yard-plus performance and four touchdowns. Middle Tennessee State will come in under head coach Derek Mason being able to push the ball down the field early in the game. A key to watch this weekend is how the Rebels look to use a strong running game.

Caleb Salers – Supertalk Mississippi

Score: Ole Miss 61 – Middle Tennessee State 7

Prediction: Henry Parrish, Jr. and Ulysses Bentley IV will reach the end zone at least once a piece

The Rebels dominate on all fronts once again — this time with a little more help from the run game. Both Henry Parrish and Ulysses Bentley IV will reach the end zone at least once. Defensively, the game will be controlled in the trenches with Walter Nolen and JJ Pegues wreaking havoc on the Blue Raiders’ backfield.