Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma Preview | Notes, Scouting Report, and More

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss and Oklahoma are set to kick off Saturday in the Vaught. While neither of the two teams are sitting where they thought they would be at this point in the season, the game is still critical, nonetheless.

For the Rebels (5-2, 1-2 SEC), their playoff hopes are absolutely still alive — but they need to start stacking some wins. For the Sooners (4-3, 1-3), they are trying to stop the bleeding and keep the season from completely going off the rails. Head coach Brent Venables already fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell earlier this week, and one would have to imagine others could follow if fortunes don’t change.

(Click here to see Injury/Availability Report.)

Here are some notes on the game, an Oklahoma scouting report, and other pertinent info.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• Ole Miss is 24-3 at home since 2021, which includes a 10-1 mark since the start of 2023. The Rebels are 302-116-8 all-time on the field at Vaught-Hemingway (before vacated wins).

• Since the start of the 2023 season, Ole Miss is out-scoring opponents by 29.6 points, averaging 554.9 yards and have had an average capacity crowd of 64,881 at Vaught-Hemingway.

• Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks FBS top-10 in 11 offensive categories, including the lead in YPG margin (+271.3).

• Lane Kiffin (100) is one of three active SEC head coaches with 100 FBS wins (Brian Kelly, 192; Kirby Smart, 100).

• The Rebels are 34-12 overall since 2021 and rank third among all SEC schools in wins in that span.

• Ole Miss leads or ties the FBS lead in rushing defense (66.6), yards per rush allowed (1.96) and TD allowed (6).

• QB Jaxson Dart leads the SEC in seven categories and is the lone active FBS QB with 10K passing and 1.2K rushing.

• At 9,908 yards of total offense in his Ole Miss career, Dart is 76 yards shy of Eli Manning (2nd, 9,984) and 570 behind Bo Wallace (1st, 10,478) on the all-time Rebel leaderboard.

• Ole Miss owns four top-50 PFF defenders, led by No. 1 rated defender LB Chris Paul Jr. (90.9) and three top-five run defenders: DT JJ Pegues (2nd, 91.7), DT Walter Nolen (3rd, 90.7) and S Trey Washington (5th, 90.2).

• WR Tre Harris leads the FBS with 987 receiving yards, 83 more than the next best receiver nationally.

• Harris (59) owns 39.1 percent of Dart’s (151) completions, the largest share by a QB/WR duo in the FBS.

• K Caden Davis hit a 57-yard FG at LSU, a Tiger Stadium record that ranks tied for third-longest in Ole Miss history.

SOONER SCOUTING REPORT

Oklahoma enters the week 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the SEC, having lost three of their last four games. Two of the Sooners’ losses have come against teams ranked inside the top 10.

Offensively, Oklahoma has struggled to move the ball in 2024, ranking last in the SEC in total offense (288.1 ypg). True freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. and Jackson Arnold have split time at the quarterback position so far this season for the Sooners.

Arnold leads OU with 763 passing yards and eight TDs. He was announced earlier this week as the starter against the Rebels.

OU has battled injuries at the receiver position. While Deion Burks leads the Sooners in receiving yards (201) and touchdowns (3), he has been injured since the Tennessee game and was listed as “doubtful” in Thursday’s Availability Report.

Two-year starter Jalil Farooq has also been out since Week 1 with a broken foot.

Defensively, the Sooners are allowing just 329.9 yards per game. Oklahoma ranks No. 4 in sacks per game (3.57) and No. 6 in tackles for loss (8.1). Linebacker Danny Stutsman is the Sooners’ leading tackler, with 62 total tackles, including five tackles for loss. Robert Spears-Jennings has 46 tackles on the season and ranks No. 3 in FBS with three fumbles forced. Punter Luke Elzinga ranks No. 6 nationally with a punt average of 46.2 yards per punt.

OLE MISS-OKLAHOMA SERIES HISTORY

• This is the second meeting all-time between the Rebels and Sooners, the first during the regular season. Ole Miss and Oklahoma previously met in the 1999 Independence Bowl, the final college football game of the 20th century.

• In that Independence Bowl, the Rebels won 27-25 on Les Binkley’s 39-yard field goal as time expired.

• The Sooners took a 25-24 lead with 2:17 left following a Josh Heupel touchdown pass, but a 42-yard kickoff return by Deuce McAllister helped put the Rebels in field goal range. McAllister finished with 239 all-purpose yards.

• Combined, the two programs own 1,629 wins, 98 bowl appearances and 56 bowl victories … Oklahoma (31) and Ole Miss (25) rank among just 15 FBS programs with at least 25 bowl wins.

WELCOME TO THE LEAGUE

Oklahoma’s trip to Oxford this weekend marks the first SEC contest between the two schools. Ole Miss is 2-2 in first games against new SEC opponents and it stands as one of the 10 remaining original SEC schools from 1932 alongside: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Ole Miss will eventually add a sixth game to this list when it squares off against fellow newcomer, Texas.

REBS IN THE POLLS

• Ole Miss currently ranks No. 18 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls for Week Nine.

• Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top-25 in 53 of the last 57 poll releases … That includes a streak of 29 across 2021 and 2022, the longest streak since being ranked for 41 straight weeks from 2014-16.

• Ole Miss’ current ranked streak stands at 25 consecutive appearances since the beginning of the 2023 season.

• The SEC boasts nine teams in the top 25, including four within the top-10.

HOT AT HOME

Ole Miss has only lost at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium three times since the beginning of the 2021 season and only six times total in the Lane Kiffin era. That includes only one loss since the start of the 2023 season back on Sept. 28 to Kentucky. In that time period, the Rebels have consistently put on a show for the Ole Miss faithful, welcoming in a grand total of 713,697 fans through its turnstiles — good for a capacity crowd per game average of 64,881.

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium has been a safe haven for the Rebels historically, owning a 302-116-8 (.718) record all-time in Oxford before vacated wins (280-113-8), and that’s been no different in the Lane Kiffin era. Ole Miss is 24-3 in its last 27 home games, and since the beginning of Kiffin’s tenure in 2020, the Rebels have gone 24-6 overall at Vaught-Hemingway — which includes a 14-game home winning streak that spanned Nov. 14, 2020 to Oct. 15, 2022. That streak was among the longest home winning streaks nationally when it was snapped by No. 9 Alabama in 2022. It was also the longest winning streak in Oxford since winning 21 straight games from Nov. 1, 1952 to Nov. 7, 1959. Including a tie to LSU in 1960, the Rebels went unbeaten for 34 games over the course of 12 years (1952-64). Under Kiffin, the Rebels have recorded the first two seven-win home seasons in program history in 2021 and 2023.

THIS IS 40 (WINS)

Head coach Lane Kiffin has a chance to mark another milestone this week as well, as he stands on the precipice of becoming the fastest coach to 40 wins in Ole Miss football history. Kiffin is 39-17 in the middle of his fifth season with the Rebels, and a win Saturday would put him at the 40-win plateau two games faster than Ole Miss legend John Vaught, who was 40-16-3 in his first 59 games. Kiffin would only be the fourth coach in Ole Miss history to reach 40 wins alongside Vaught, who finished 190-61-12 in 25 seasons, Billy Brewer, who was 67-56-3 in 11 seasons, and David Cutcliffe, who was 44-29 in seven seasons. At previous milestones, Kiffin was the second-fastest to 30 wins (30-14) to Harry Mehre (30-7-1), and was tied with Vaught (20-7-1) for second-fastest to 20 wins (20-8) to Mehre (20-4).

LOCK THE VAUGHT ENDZONE

The Rebel defense currently leads the FBS in rushing defense (66.6), yards per rush (1.96) and is tied with Texas for the national lead in fewest touchdowns allowed (6). At the SEC level, Ole Miss additionally leads in tackles for loss (66), red zone defense (62.5%) and in 20-yard runs allowed (1).

Ole Miss recently held South Carolina to just three points, its fewest against an SEC opponent since doing the same to Texas A&M in 2015 and one of only seven games since the turn of the millennium in which the Rebels have held an SEC opponent out of the endzone. In total, that marked the 29th such game in available records since at least 1964.

Ole Miss ranks second nationally at both 10.6 points allowed per game and 74 total points yielded in 2024. The Rebels allowed their first touchdown of the season at the 14:12 mark of the second quarter to Georgia Southern on a halfback pass, ending its touchdown-less streak at 195:48 of game time — the longest such streak by a Rebel defense since 1959, when Ole Miss shut out eight of its 11 opponents and only gave up 21 points all season long.

CAUSING MAYHEM

The Ole Miss defense has been ever-present in the backfield, currently leading the SEC in tackles for loss (66) and ranking second in total forced yards lost at 265 — averaging 9.4 TFL for 37.9 yards lost per game this season. The Rebels have four games with double-digit TFL this season, already the most by an Ole Miss defense since the 2015 squad that ended with four such games under its belt.

Ole Miss is coming off a 35-sack season during its historic 2023 campaign, which marked the first time since the sack became an official college statistic in 1983 that the Rebels have recorded at least 35 in three consecutive seasons. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss has recorded multiple sacks in 40 games, at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 38 games, and at least 4.0 sacks in 22 games. In games under Kiffin with at least 5.0 tackles for loss, Ole Miss is 28-10, and in games with at least 4.0 sacks, the Rebels are 13-4.

HIDE YOUR QB

The Rebel defense also owns the SEC’s third-best pass rush at 24 total sacks. Nearly than half of Ole Miss’ season total of 265 forced yards lost have come via the QB sack, with the Rebels racking up 165 yards when dragging the opposing QB down.

Ole Miss owns two of the SEC’s top-15 current pass rushers in DE Jared Ivey (5.0) and DE Suntarine Perkins (4.5), and not far behind them are DE Princely Umanmielen (3.5), DT Walter Nolen (2.5) and LB Chris Paul Jr. (2.5). Ivey just recently cracked the all-time top-10 at Ole Miss in sacks, ranking 10th all-time at 14.0 total.

FEARSOME FRONT

The Ole Miss defensive line entered 2024 with a considerable amount of hype, and per PFF grades the Rebels have lived up to that pressure brilliantly. Among both edge and interior defensive linemen, Ole Miss owns three of the top-50 rated defenders overall in DE Jared Ivey (5th, 86.3), DT Walter Nolen (11th, 85.5) and DT JJ Pegues (34th, 80.4).

In run defense alone, Ole Miss owns three of the top-16 rated interior linemen in Pegues (2nd, 91.7), Nolen (4th, 90.7) and DT Zxavian Harris (16th, 83.8). Combined, Ole Miss’ four main starters on the defensive line — Ivey, Nolen, Pegues and DE Princely Umanmielen — have tallied up 78 tackles, 24.5 TFL for 101 yards, 11.5 sacks for 74 yards and 14 quarterback hurries.

D-FENSE!

Helping propel the Rebel defense toward the top of the FBS this season has been a powerful mix of Ole Miss veterans and newcomers through the portal. LB Chris Paul Jr. currently ranks as PFF’s top-rated defender across all positions at an overall grade of 90.9, followed by additional top-50 overall ratings of 88.8 in rush defense (10th), 87.8 in coverage (14th) and 79.8 in pass rushing (46th).

In run defense alone, Ole Miss owns four top-10 ranked defenders nationally in DT JJ Pegues (2nd, 91.7), DT Walter Nolen (3rd, 90.7), S Trey Washington (5th, 90.2) and Paul Jr. (10th, 88.8).

TOUGH SLEDDING

South Carolina was the first Rebel opponent this season to break 100 yards rushing, snapping the longest consecutive streak holding opponents below the century mark at Ole Miss since the 1999 Rebels did so six times to open the season and seven times within their first eight games. The Rebels lead all FBS schools at a paltry 66.6 yards allowed per game, which includes an FBS-leading 1.96 yards per carry allowed.

In available records, this Ole Miss defense is the first to hold four consecutive opponents to fewer than 50 yards rushing in the same season since at least 1969, when reliable game-by-game team stats become available. The three straight sub-50 yard performances to start were the first such streak since 1993, and the two sub-30 efforts by the Rebel defense were also the first since the 1999 season.

HIGH-FLYING OFFENSE

In the Kiffin era, the Rebel offense ranks as the most prolific in the nation, leading the FBS in yards per game since the beginning of the 2020 season at 506.0 yards per game. In terms of total yards, Ole Miss ranks fourth in the FBS at 28,338 yards within the Kiffin era. In that same four-year stretch, Ole Miss ranks sixth among all FBS schools in rushing yards per game at 213.7, as well as 10th in passing yards per game at 292.4 — which makes the Rebels the lone FBS team to rank within the top-10 in both categories.

LEGENDARY STATUS

Senior QB Jaxson Dart has etched his name all over Ole Miss’ record book in three highly successful seasons leading the Rebel offensive attack, but a win Saturday would tie him as the winningest quarterback of Ole Miss’ modern era.

At 23-9 as a starter at Ole Miss, a victory against Oklahoma would slot Dart next to Eli Manning (24-13) and Bo Wallace (24-15) as the lone Rebels to reach the 24-victory plateau. For this scenario, Ole Miss’ modern era is considered since the first career start by Archie Manning on Sept. 21, 1968 at Memphis.

Verifying games started prior to Manning’s 1968 season is inconsistent via available records, as well as considering that underclassmen rarely started and the quarterback was less of a permanent position in John Vaught’s offensive scheme. One unverified source has College Football Hall of Famer Jake Gibbs at 23-3-1 as the starter of Ole Miss’ powerhouse teams from 1958-60, while several other QBs during the highly successful 1950s would have potentially high (but unlikely) win totals as well.

THROWIN’ DARTS

Senior QB Jaxson Dart ranks among the top signal-callers in college football this season, currently leading the SEC and resting within the FBS top-10 in seven different categories. Dart leads the nation in yards per attempt (11.1), and on the year he has a season passing line of 151-of-215 (70.2 percent) for 2,384 yards, 14 touchdowns, three interceptions and a passing efficiency of 182.1.

Dart started the 2024 campaign better than any SEC quarterback since the dawn of the new millennium, with his 1,554 yards through four games standing as the most by an SEC quarterback since 1998, when Kentucky’s Tim Couch put up 1,577 yards in his first four contests. Dart’s four consecutive 300-yard outings to open the 2024 season made him one of just two SEC quarterbacks to do so in the last 20 yards alongside Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett in 2010, and dating back to his 379-yard performance against Penn State in the Peach Bowl last December, Dart’s five consecutive 370-yard games ranked as the longest streak in the SEC in the last 20 years.

Game Info: 

Ole Miss and Oklahoma kick off at 11:00 a.m. in Oxford. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.