Previews and Predictions: No. 12 Ole Miss Travels to Take On South Carolina
OXFORD, Miss. — The start of SEC play left the Ole Miss faithful in shock as the Rebels lost their first game of the season, 20-17, to Kentucky. Now, at an early point in the season, the Rebels are staring down a must-win game to get things back on track.
Lane Kiffin’s group will now travel to Columbia to take on Shane Beamer’s South Carolina Gamecocks (3-1, 1-1 SEC) in a crucial midseason matchup. The Rebel head coach was calm following last week’s defeat. “I’m not going to overreact in a loss….I don’t overreact in a tight win or a tight loss,” he explained.
On offense, Ole Miss (4-1, 0-1 SEC) looks to find its groove and get back to being one of the top units in the country. Following last week’s contest, Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart called an offensive personnel meeting to talk some things through and get the group right. Even after the loss, the Rebels’ offense is still averaging 607.2 total yards. Against Kentucky, Ole Miss totaled 353 yards.
“It really opened our eyes. We’re not the big dogs anymore, we have to get back to the groundwork, go 1-0 every day, reset, and look at things different.”
Jaxson Dart
The contest is the first time that Antwane “Juice” Wells will return to Williams-Brice Stadium since he transferred from South Carolina last spring. The offensive line could prove key as South Carolina brings a very strong pass-rushing duo Ole Miss must take into account.
On defense, Pete Golding’s group looks to solidify itself as a mainstay amongst the top in the SEC. The Rebels have allowed an average of 212.2 yards per game and rank in the top five in points per game allowed with 8.4. Their new-look defense has been aggressive so far this year, consistently finding ways into the backfield.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer talked about the Ole Miss defense in his press conference this week.
“Really, really good up front on the defensive line. Lead the SEC in sacks. They have ends that can rush the passer. Tackles that can take over games. So they are really good defensively.”
– Coach Shane Beamer on Ole Miss
South Carolina enters this contest following a long rest after having a BYE last week. In their last outing, the Gamecocks defeated Akron, 50-7.
So what will happen in Saturday’s game?
The Rebel Walk has put together a group of panelists who are weekly sharing 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, Oct. 5th 2:3o PM CT
- TV: ESPN
- Radio:
- OleMissSports.com
- Memphis: WHBQ-AM 560
- Oxford: WOXF-FM 105.1
- Jackson: WFMN-FM 97.3
- Betting Odds: Ole Miss -8; Moneyline: Ole Miss -319; South Carolina +250; O/U 53.5 (as of Friday morning)
The Leaderboard
Kam Wicker (The Rebel Walk): 12 Points
Grayson Weir (BroBible): 10 Points
Adam Brown (The Rebel Walk): 10 Points
TJ Oxley (The Rebel Walk): 10 Points
Zach Moreth (The Rebel Walk): 6 Points
Caleb Salers (Supertalk Mississippi): 4 Points
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 as Ole Miss hits the road against South Carolina.
Grayson Weir, Bro Bible
Score: Ole Miss 35 — South Carolina 20
Prediction: Caden Preiskorn any-time TD
The Rebels got punched in the face last weekend. They can either pick themselves up off of the mat or roll over and quit. Based on how the players reacted, I expect this to be the former. Ole Miss is going to come out angry in Columbia. Walter Nolen took the loss hard. He will bounce back with two crucial tackles for loss and/or sacks on third down that prevent South Carolina from crawling back in the game after it goes down early. A late fourth quarter score will make it look closer than it is. Jaxson Dart will find Juice Wells for a big play on the first drive that sparks a big day against his former team. The Gamecocks will try to adjust, which will open up the middle of the field for Caden Prieskorn to get in the end zone. Look for the offensive line to be much improved and for third down efficiency to increase.
Kam Wicker – The Rebel Walk
Score: Ole Miss 31 – South Carolina 23
Prediction: Jaxson Dart 300+ Passing Yards and 2+ Total TDs
After a rough showing last week for the Rebel offense, Dart gets things going early to give Ole Miss a comfortable lead. South Carolina’s rushing attack keeps them within striking distance, but the Landshark defense gets the last laugh.
Zach Moreth – The Rebel Walk
Score: Ole Miss 27 — South Carolina 24
Prediction: Juice Wells will score the first TD of the game for Ole Miss
Ole Miss will bounce back this weekend and take down South Carolina 27-24 in a late comeback effort from the Rebs. If Ole Miss loses this game, the season will go in a spiral that you will not be able to comprehend. It is as must-win as must-win can get. South Carolina will be rocking and bringing a ton of energy, but I truly believe the Rebs will persevere and escape this one with a W.
Adam Brown – The Rebel Walk
Score: Ole Miss 31 — South Carolina 24
Prediction: Juice Wells finishes the game with 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns
Ole Miss gets back on the winning track against South Carolina. The Rebels’ offense will get wide receiver Juice Wells involved in the game plan as he returns to South Carolina.
South Carolina will try and disrupt Jaxson Dart and then make it tough for the running game with their edge rushers.
TJ Oxley – The Rebel Walk
Score: Ole Miss 28 — South Carolina 24
Prediction: Ole Miss defensive front outplays South Carolina’s, tallying more tackles for loss
The Ole Miss defense has delivered this year. Even in last week’s loss, the group did what it needed to do to win the game. This week, they accomplish the same thing. The real contest becomes which offensive line protects their guy the longest. The Rebles win this battle and gets a must-need win on the road. In the process, the Ole Miss can quiet some of the claims of South Carolina having the best defensive line in the SEC, getting some of these Rebels in the national spotlight.
Caleb Salers – Supertalk Mississippi
Score: Ole Miss 21 — South Carolina 31
Big prediction: Jaxson Dart totals 275 + yards and 2 TDs
Ole Miss is overwhelmed early by the Gamecocks’ strong defensive front and athletic linebackers who keep the Rebels’ offense at bay. The game will be neck-and-neck through three quarters of play, but South Carolina, with the ruckus crowd to its advantage, will force a turnover in Ole Miss territory late and pull away with the lead. Defensively, Pete Golding’s crew will continue to struggle with costly penalties, aiding a not-100% LaNorris Sellers led offense. Caveat – If Ole Miss comes out and plays inspired football, flip the score in the Rebels’ favor. This past Saturday could have exposed the Rebels as fool’s gold OR it could have been the wake up call the team desperately needed.
TJ Oxley
TJ Oxley is the Vice President of Operations and the Director of Community Relations for The Rebel Walk. He is also the Director of Basketball Content and Senior Basketball Writer. He has over five years of experience providing in-depth analysis of college basketball through multiple platforms. A former MBA graduate of Ole Miss, TJ started with The Rebel Walk in 2019.
