NFL
By: Brock Vierra
Ole Miss is off to a hot start in the 2023 season. Sitting at 5-1, Lane Kiffin has put the Rebels in the driver’s seat for a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Now a hot start is nothing new to Kiffin and company as in his three full years (not counting the COVID year) as the head man in Oxford, Kiffin is 16-2 in the first half of the season. However, it is the back end that has always plagued the offensive-minded coach. Not wanting to speak on the disaster last year or the fact that he’s lost two straight bowl games, Kiffin has his eyes set on writing a new chapter.
With his team clicking at the right time and a #13 ranking in the AP poll, the season opens up nicely for Ole Miss. The majority of the teams within the top 10 will eventually play and eliminate each other while Ole Miss has their eyes set on putting up yet another win over their disgraced former head football coach Hugh Freeze. Freeze returned to Ole Miss in 2021 in a losing effort in his native Oxford but he now holds home-field advantage as his Auburn Tigers welcome the Rebels to Jordan-Hare.
As expected, Freeze’s first year is one of transition and with an 0-3 record in the SEC, Ole Miss should take care of business on Saturday night. Should Ole Miss win, they would sit at 6-1. As of writing, only two teams in their remaining schedule have winning records. The fledgling Texas A&M Aggies who sit at 4-3 whom they’ll play at home and the #1 Georgia Bulldogs.
Ole Miss Is an Offensive Juggarnaugt
There is no reason why Ole Miss shouldn’t enter Athens with only one loss so the question shifts from “Is Ole Miss a National Championship Contender?” to “Can Ole Miss beat Georgia on the road?” I say yes. When Jaxson Dart is on, he is on. He has thrown for 1638 passing yards with 12 TDs to 2 interceptions. He also has rushed for 302 yards and 4 TDs as well, making him the perfect duel-threat QB for Kiffin’s offense. Dart has struggled at times with his accuracy, his performance in Tuscaloosa being a prime example so there is a point of concern there.
However, Dart is flanked by the best running back room in the SEC in Quinshon Judkins and Ulysees Bentley IV. Both men combined for 718 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. He also has studs at wide receiver with Senior Jordan Watkins leading the charge behind his 36 receptions and 536 receiving yards. What Ole Miss does so well offensively is ball distribution, making defenses unable to key in and shut down one man. 15 players have caught a pass for Ole Miss this season so expect this trend to continue.
Ole Miss Has a Better Defense Than You Think
Now there were some confused looks passed around when former Alabama DC Pete Golding was hired for the same role. Still looking for the right replacement for D.J. Durkin, Golding has drawn some ire due to his defensive shortcomings shown against LSU and Tulane. However, when you dig deeper, his defense has held Mercer, Tulane, Georgia Tech, and Arkansas to their lowest points total in the 2023 season.
Outside of a weird performance by Alabama at USF where they played their backup QBs for the whole game, Golding’s defense held the Crimson Tide to 24 points, tied for second second-lowest amount of points scored by the Crimson Tide, a mark hit by the defenses of Texas and Arkansas as well. As for the 49-point performance in the LSU game, the Tigers have put up 49 at Missouri and 48 against Auburn so Ole Miss wasn’t exactly off the mark.
As for Georgia, not trying to look ahead but there are still major questions with QB Carson Beck, especially after losing their best offensive weapon in Brock Bowers for an unknown amount of time. This isn’t the same Georgia team that won back-to-back Nattys so a trip to Athens doesn’t seem as daunting.
As for Auburn, it is business as usual. Play good defense, don’t give a struggling Tigers offense a short field, and be sure to stop the run because they can’t throw the ball. The offense should be fine and I predict a 45-18 win for the Rebels. Ole Miss is serious this year and the thought of a National Title making its way to Oxford is no longer some wild fantasy. It is time to invest in Ole Miss.
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