Ole Miss football looks to bring passing attack to Lexington
Kentucky won 40 – 34 against Missouri on Saturday, October 7, 2017 in Lexington, Ky. Photo by Eddie Justice
November 2, 2017
The UK football team will look to move to 7-2 on the season against Ole Miss (3-5) on Saturday, Nov. 4.
The Cats are coming off of a good win against Tennessee, where they won 29-26. The Rebels of Ole Miss fell to 3-5 in their last game, losing to Arkansas 38-37.
This is an even matchup for the Rebels. They come into the game allowing 207 passing yards per game, while UK throws for 186.8 per game. As a team, Ole Miss averages 338.1 passing yards per game and 122.9 rushing yards per game. UK averages 341 yards of total offense per game compared to Ole Miss’s 461 yards.
Both teams are well rounded. For Ole Miss to win this game, the offense will be the key. The Rebels will look to get the pass game going, involving WR AJ Brown early and often. Brown leads the SEC in multiple receiving categories: Yards (765), yards per game (95.6) and receptions per game (5.1).
Against LSU two weeks ago, Ole Miss starting quarterback Shea Patterson suffered a torn PCL and will have to sit out the rest of the season.
This leaves the Rebels’ offensive future uncertain, resting in the hands of junior college transfer Jordan Ta’amu. He’ll be replacing a quarterback that led the SEC in passing yards at the time of his injury. Against Arkansas, Ta’amu threw for 368 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
Another key to success for the Rebels will be their defense. The Rebel defense will have to contain Benny Snell Jr. in the backfield as well as stop the evenly balanced passing game from UK. The Rebels will lean on senior DE Marquis Haynes who is third in the SEC and ranked 16th nationally in sacks with 6.5.
For the Wildcats, the duo of DE/LB Josh Allen and Denzil Ware will be key for the Cats. Allen has been the more dominant of the two, projected by some to potentially be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cats will have to establish Snell and Sihiem King in the run game.
