NFL
By: Randall Slifer
Week three has arrived, and Arkansas has come out 2-0 heading into weekend. This week begins the tough path to 9-3 as they take on Ole Miss Saturday night. Ole Miss had a tougher task than Arkansas, beating Kentucky 27-20. This matchup is a very even matchup against teams that play each other frequently, and I expect a chess match between Pittman and Kiffin. Let’s take a look at the game as a whole:
Defense
Austin Simmons’ role and injury
Austin Simmons left the last game with an ankle injury and was helped off the field. Lane Kiffin said he got taped up and could have come back in the game if Kiffin needed him to go in. I expect Austin Simmons to play, but how mobile will he be, only one week removed from being helped off the field?
Austin Simmons is a dual-threat quarterback at 6’4 215lb. Ole Miss often employs quarterback-designed runs. Austin Simmons did not throw a touchdown versus Kentucky, but rushed one in. If Austin Simmons is not as mobile as he can be, Arkansas can adjust its defense to avoid using a spy, as well as sit in coverage to let Austin Simmons make the mistake.
Let Austin Simmons make the mistake.
Austin Simmons has thrown for three touchdowns and four interceptions while having 8% of his throws considered turnover-worthy plays. Both Simmons’ interceptions were mistakes he personally made with some solid coverage in the backfield. One interception was a forced throw after a bad snap, and the other was an overthrow in the middle of the field.
Arkansas’ defense in a 4-2-5 scheme can fit perfectly to defend Ole Miss’ offense. Julian Neal and Kani Walker will have tall tasks on the boundary, but with safety help, the deep balls can be handled with ease. Harrison Wallace III was their breakout wide receiver in week 2 with 4 catches for 117 yards.
Austin Simmons likes to get the ball out quickly and let the wide receivers catch and run. Taking the right angles and tackling will force Austin Simmons to look elsewhere, and the intermediate and deep are where he threw all four of his interceptions.
Stopping the run
This may be a hot take, but I think Kewan Lacy’s 138-yard game last weekend was average. He only averaged 2.54 yards after contact, and his breakaway runs are really what contributed to his success.
Lacy had three rushes of over 15 yards, which contributed to over 50% of his yards that game. After that, Lacy rushed 25 more times for a measly 64 yards at 2.56 yards per carry.
Ole Miss rushing was far more successful on outside runs than running between the tackles. The duo linebackers of Xavian Sorey Jr. and Stephen Dix Jr. are very good at keeping their jerseys clean and being patient in outside runs to attack when their opportunity comes their way.
Suppose Arkansas can hold Ole Miss to minimal explosive runs, and Austin Simmons is not as mobile as he typically is. In that case, it puts the quarterback in situations where he needs to throw long, and turnovers seem to be inevitable if that happens.
Offense
Running the football
Arkansas should muddy up this game and run the ball down their throats with the trident (cue Brooklyn 99 reference twice!) that we possess in the run game. Kentucky managed to rush for 187 yards and two touchdowns against Ole Miss last weekend.
Kentucky’s running back, Seth McGowen, rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns, standing at 6’1 215lb. Mike Washington Jr. is a 6’2 228lb who runs harder and more elusively than Seth McGowan. Mike Washington Jr. can bring a heavy threat to Ole Miss’ run defense on outside runs, while Braylen Russell can attack the middle and tire out the defensive line.
Kentucky’s quarterback, Zach Calzada, is also a dual-threat quarterback, standing at 6’4 230lb, but he only had two designed runs last weekend. Suntarine Perkins was primarily his spy to ensure he stays in the pocket, or follow him on scrambles to wrap him up.
Suntarine Perkins is a promising 2026 NFL draft candidate who is versatile in coverage and pass rush. Suntarine Perkins is also a very light frame, standing at 6’2 “and weighing 210lb. If Suntarine Perkins is spying on 6’6 235lb Taylen Green, the open field could get interesting.
Taylen Green can beat Suntarine Perkins one-on-one if the time comes, and he should try to get into these situations. If Ole Miss is rushing four on the defensive line, I expect Bobby Petrino to dial up play-action rollouts to Taylen’s right to decide to take off running or find the gap in zone to find the right receiver.
Passing the rock
Ole Miss’s defensive backs are sound and played very good man coverage against Kentucky. Ole Miss played dime coverage frequently because of their confidence in their stout defensive line. This left Kentucky with minimal lanes in the passing game, but they did not force Ole Miss into any precarious situations on defense.
Ole Miss does not have a linebacker over 230 pounds, and they look more like 220 pounds than the latter. Kentucky did not exploit the middle of the field, and Arkansas needs to do just that.
Tight ends Rohan Jones (6’3 242lb) and Andres Paaske (6’6 267lb) are big tight ends that can exploit the middle of the field. A good strategy for Arkansas would be showing 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE) in the run and the pass game and attack the middle of the field when they use pass in those personnel.
This can open up the boundary for players like O’Mega Blake and CJ Brown on the outside to win one-on-one battles.
One thing I did catch during the Ole Miss vs. Kentucky game is that when Ole Miss played zone, they allowed a mismatch on the outside when three wide receivers were on one side of the field.
In the Week 1 matchup between LSU and Clemson, LSU identified this strategy during their game and ran a wide receiver screen numerous times, challenging the Clemson defense to win the battle of three wide receivers versus two defenders. Arkansas should do the same thing if they see those looks.
Offensive Line
The goal of the offensive line should be to contain Zxavian Harris. Zxavian Harris was a menace in the run game and pass rush, where he was driving back the line coming from the nose tackle position, all the way to outside the tackle.
Taylen Green should change the direction of the runaway from Harris, and two offensive linemen should be on him at all times. This may give one-on-one options to edge defenders like Umanmeilen and Perkins, but Taylen Green and Arkansas’ tackles can handle that.
Arkansas vs Ole Miss kicks off at 7:00 EST/6:00 CST. Vegas has Ole Miss as a -7 favorite and expects a high-scoring game with an over/under of 59.5. I would take the under in this game, as Arkansas will turn this into a possession game and run the ball for first down after first down. This game is a pivotal game for Arkansas to continue its success and show that it can be a force in the SEC.
