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Ole Miss vs. Arkansas prediction and game preview. The Rebels try to stay in control of their own destiny in the SEC West as they host the dangerous Razorbacks.
November 2, 2015It might not be LSU vs. Alabama, but this could turn out to be every bit as interesting on a variety of SEC West levels. Can Arkansas (4-4) kick off a big run to make a big splash in the race? Is this when Ole Miss truly establishes itself as one of the top dogs for the division title? Check out the Arkansas vs. Ole Miss game preview and prediction.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 7
Game Time: 3:30 pm
Venue: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS
Network: CBS
Follow, Contact @PeteFiutak
Ole Miss controls its own destiny, at least in the SEC title hunt. The win over Alabama continues to loom large, going on a two-game winning streak since the Memphis loss and with a shot to take the West with three straight wins. After dominating Texas A&M, and slipping by Auburn on the road, now it’s on. The Arkansas date this week will be nasty, but if the Rebels can survive, they’ll have a showdown against LSU that could make or break the entire SEC season. It’s an inconsistent team, and it’s a flaky team, but it’s a talented team. Now it’s time to look the part of a potential West champion.
Arkansas needed four overtimes to get by Auburn a few weeks ago, but it’s still in the hunt for the West title – needing a ton of help with some Alabama losses – with a trip to LSU up next and with Mississippi State and Missouri to close things out. This isn’t the pounding running team it was supposed to be, and the defense has had it issues, but for now, just getting one step closer to bowl eligibility is good enough. If ever a team really had to take it one game at a time, this is it.
Can the Hogs get the passing game going against the Ole Miss secondary? The Rebels statistically rock, mainly because the pass defense faced a slew of mediocre passing games, but Florida, Memphis, and Alabama combined for ten of the 14 touchdown passes allowed so far, and even Auburn was able to throw for over 300 yards last week – it’s possible to throw on this group. Arkansas has the reputation of being just a hardcore running team, but Brandon Allen and the passing attack have been terrific at times. The offense is surprisingly balanced – it’ll keep the pressure on.
Yeah, Arkansas can throw, but it can’t stop anyone from pushing the ball down the field. The Hogs have allowed over 200 yards to everyone since the opener against UTEP, allowing 380 yards to UT Martin last week, and while the secondary has only given up eight touchdown passes and came up with seven picks, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech were able to dink and dunk as much as they wanted to – and they all won. Get ready for Chad Kelly to start throwing early and to keep pushing the ball down the field.
Can Chad Kelly stop throwing picks? Everyone liked to talk about Good Bo, Bad Bo when it came to former Rebel quarterback Bo Wallace, but Kelly has been just as flaky and mistake-prone throwing seven interceptions in the last three games and at least one pick in each of the last six. He’s a playmaker, and he’s putting the ball up around 40 times a game lately and hitting for around 300 yards per pop, but against a team like Arkansas that capitalizes on mistakes, he has to try to keep from giving away too many easy chances.
Which team is going to show up on each side? This is the type of game that Arkansas could rise up and blast away with the ground game, but Kelly and the Rebel passing attack will take over with a few big plays. The time of possession will be tilted in a big way to the Arkansas side, but the Rebels will get out alive with a thrilling win.
Final Score: Ole Miss 27, Arkansas 23, Line: Ole Miss -11, o/u: 58
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