Keys to The Game: Ole Miss Rebels at Kentucky Wildcats

Ole Miss football is coming off a dominating 63-7 victory over the Georgia State Panthers last weekend to begin the season.

However, today, the Rebels are thrust into an early SEC matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats on the road, kicking off SEC action.

The Rebels are going to Lexington with what linebacker TJ  Dottery called “a sour taste” in their mouths after a crushing loss to the Wildcats in Oxford last season, a loss that ultimately kept Ole Miss out of the college football playoffs.

With a big weekend ahead of Lane Kiffin and and company, here are three major keys for a successful first road trip of the season for the Rebels.

Dominate The Trenches

The Rebels need to win the battle of the trenches both offensively and defensively.

The Wildcats have a fierce run game, as Dante Dowdell raced for 129 yards last weekend. In fact, it was the running game that kept Kentucky in the game last Saturday, as they finished with 220 on the ground and only 85 passing in their 24-16 win over Toledo.

With the Rebels’ new-look defensive line having just one regular season game together, the unit will need to come out firing on all cylinders.

The Rebels’ rush defense was clearly their weaker side as they allowed the Panthers to amass 191 yards on the ground, including a few big ones. That won’t fly against Kentucky’s run-heavy offense. So look for Zxavian Harris and the rest of the defense to “…bring the fight to them…” as Harris indicated earlier this week.

Up front offensively, the Rebels’ offensive line held strong in the run game and, paired with Kewan Lacy’s refusal to go down, helped lead to four touchdowns on the ground with Lacy scoring three and Diggs, one. The Rebs may have offensive lineman Delano Townsend, who missed the opening game due to injury, back as he was no longer on the availability report Friday. 

Win The Passing Game

The Wildcats’ air attack looked anemic last Saturday against Toledo. Wildcats quarterback Zach Calzada finished the season opener just 10-26 with 85 yards and an interception, while the Rebels held Georgia State to just 69 yards in the air between their two quarterbacks.

Not only was Ole Miss’ revamped secondary playing a factor, recording five pass breakups, the defensive line lived in the Panthers’ backfield forcing rushed and inaccurate throws resulting in quick drives for the Panthers offense.

This needs to pair with a dominant rush defense that forces the Wildcats to put the ball in there air where the Rebels have a clear advantage.

Correct Mistakes From Last Season

Ole Miss’ devastating loss last season can be pinned on a number of factors; however, a few of the biggest ones include lack of time of possession, inefficient third down conversion rate, and total first downs. Kentucky held the ball almost double the time the Rebels did, with a 39:43 to 20:17 advantage.

While the Rebels are surely aiming to correct these factors of the game, perhaps the biggest area of concern to correct was the penalties.

Ole Miss had a severe lack of discipline last year, specifically in the secondary, as a few costly holding and pass interference calls at inopportune times allowed the Wildcats to put a few more points on the scoreboard, inevitably leading to the Rebels defeat.

One major penalty came on what would have been a fourth down stop in fringe field goal range — but, instead, turned into a Wildcats touchdown.

Next Up

Watch out for these keys to the game as Ole Miss and Kentucky compete in the first head-to-head SEC matchup of the year on Saturday at 2:30 pm CT on ABC.