Arkansas Twitch: Solving Ole Miss’ Fayetteville riddle
No. 19 Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2 SEC) returns to Arkansas (5-3, 3-2) Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
The Rebels will be in search of their first win in Fayetteville since 2008 — and just third all-time — when they do. Their only other win was in 2000. Legendary Ole Miss running back Deuce McAllister rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns in that game.
Ole Miss escaped the Razorbacks with a 27-20 win in Oxford last season, including an interception from returning safety John Saunders, Jr., in the the game’s final minutes. Now-third-year Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart fumbled on the Rebels’ opening drive at Arkansas two years ago. The Rebels trailed 35-6 at halftime en route to a 42-27 defeat.
Ole Miss is a seven-point favorite and the over/under was set at 53.5. The Rebels boast the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense. They’re also No. 2 in sacks.
“They’ve always played well on defense, but you’re looking at the No. 1 rush defense in the country,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said. “No. 1 in points allowed. Very, very good. Their front is deep.
“They’re good. Every spot up there, they’re good. I mean real good. Some of that is we’re going to have to run the football (and) stay out of some long situations.”
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On the flip side, the Ole Miss offense has gone under the number in six straight games.
The running game, in particular, has struggled in SEC play. The Rebels managed all of 69 yards on 31 carries in a 26-14 win over Oklahoma last weekend.
Making matters more difficult: Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris could miss his second straight game; he’s dealing with a groin injury.
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“After re-watching it, it’s a good win,” fifth-year Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said of Oklahoma. “I told our guys today don’t let people outside of this room steal your joy about winning in the SEC, especially by two scores and dominating in the second half.
“It’s kind of the world we live in around here now. People have these expectations that you got to win by so many points and I think that happens, probably, at a lot of places with playoffs and all the fan excitement about that. Not just do you win, but how much do you win by.
“I want our guys to make sure they understand that when you win in this conference and win by two scores and play a dominant half like that, there’s things to work but enjoy it two or you’re just going end up winning and be miserable.”
The Ole Miss Spirit’s Zach Berry couldn’t wait to see if the Rebels finally solve their Arkansas riddle. He took to Twitch for a full-game play-through.
