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No. 18 Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2 SEC) hosts Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3) Saturday at 11 a.m. Here are four keys to a Rebels win over the Sooners.
Build an early lead
This seems like a fairly obvious one — and a thing I’m sure every coach in America would like to happen every weekend — but for where Ole Miss is right now, it’s paramount. The Rebels found themselves locked in fairly tight games two of the last three weeks and dropped both of those contests. Grabbing an early two-score lead will likely alleviate a bit of tension and, perhaps more importantly, allow the defense to hone in on disrupting the Sooners’ passing game. Oklahoma’s offense already struggles; the sooner they become one-dimensional, the better for the Rebels.
Win on third and fourth down
This goes for both sides of the ball. The Rebels will always push the envelope on fourth downs when they have the ball, but the best way to avoid having to make the decision on whether to attempt a fourth-down try is to stay out of such situations. Defensively, Ole Miss allowed key third and fourth-down conversions against LSU, particularly late in regulation; LSU was a combined 4 for 7 on third and fourth downs in the fourth quarter. If Ole Miss gets a couple of those stops, the game likely never goes into overtime at all.
Shut down the big passing play
Oklahoma’s offense has been largely ineffective this season, ranking 128th nationally with 288.1 total yards of offense per game. Sooners passers average 9.78 yards per completion, which is 129th in the FBS. Oklahoma is reportedly going back to Jackson Arnold under center, and he is averaging just 152.6 passing yards per game. Chunk plays can be a great equalizer, and the more Ole Miss clamps down on those, the less chance the Sooners have to get rolling.
Protect Dart
Oklahoma’s defense is largely humming along this…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/four-keys-ole-miss-win-190200733.html
Author : Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
Publish date : 2024-10-25 19:02:00
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