November 3 Sheet

Mississippi (-1.5) at Arkansas - 11:00am Pacific
I have been high on the Rebels all season. They have only lost two games to date. A heartbreaker to Auburn in week two, and a blowout at Alabama three weeks ago. They led the Auburn game in the fourth quarter and let it slip away, while at Alabama the Tide played close to a perfect game, capitalizing on 4 Ole Miss turnovers and returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown. The Rebels have suffered some injury woes in recent weeks. Starting defensive linemen Shane Elam was injured last week and will miss this game, while defensive tackle Anthony Sims is questionable. Several other defensive players had missed practice time leading up to last weeks game vs UNLV and it showed as they yielded 378 rushing yards. However, that stat is somewhat misleading. UNLV only rushed for 87 in the first half, and Ole Miss led by two touchdowns most of the second half so were not playing to stop the run. Ole Miss has had two BYE weeks in the last six weeks so they are still should have fresh legs for this. Despite the injuries, they still have star senior defensive end Derrick Burgess (11.5 tackles for loss), emerging sophomore LB Lanier Goethie (finally healthy), standout SS Syniker Taylor (leading tackler), and senior CB Ken Lucas (now projected as a 1st round NFL pick) on defense. Their is enough talent there. Although Mississippi clearly overlooked UNLV, it should be noted that the westward Rebels are having a great year and have been competitive in each of their games, including a one point loss (missed extra point) on the road at now #21 Colorado State a few weeks back. The main reason I really like this Ole Miss team though is the offense. Head coach David Cutcliffe came over two years ago after serving as offensive coordinator at Tennessee, so you know that the offense is in good hands. They have great senior leaders at the skill positions. QB Romaro Miller (18-for-29, 288 yards, 0 int's last week) is a senior, RB Deuce McAllister (former hesiman candidate, projected top 5 NFL pick, only 4 carries last week, expected to see more action this week) is a senior, and WR Grant Heard (redshirted last year, playing better of late, 169 receiving yards last week) is a senior. Fullback tandem of Sanford and Stackhouse are one of the best in the country. The offensive line has battled injuries in recent weeks but will get at least one guy back (maybe two) this week and are poised for a strong game. This offense is clearly very capable. Arkansas comes into this game having accomplished almost nothing this season. Their non-conference schedule was as weak as can be and they are just 1-3 in SEC play thus far. The one win was over a then struggling Alabama team in a rainstorm in September. Since then they have been beaten soundly in their other three games, 38-7 by Georgia, 27-7 by South Carolina, and 21-19 by Auburn last week. I do not believe the Auburn game was as close as the final score indicates as the Tigers led most of the way and played far from their best. Arkansas also had a BYE week to prepare for that game. The Razorbacks drop-off this year had to be expected as they were a senior dominated team last year. They now come into this game without starting QB Robbie Hampton (shoulder sprain). True freshman Zak Clark (41.7% completions, 0 TD's, 3 int's) will make his first start, although he is not 100% healthy either with an ankle injury. True sophomore RB Fred Talley will be making just his second start this week. He appeared to have a big game vs Auburn last week with 161 yards but half of that came on one play. This is an offense that has only averaged 15.5ppg in SEC play. The Razorbacks defense is also very suspect, giving up 26.7ppg in SEC play. Their pass defense is ranked 9th in the country but that is an extremely skewed stat based mostly on weak scheduling and other circumstances (rainstorm vs Alabama, USC & UGA had big leads). Versus SEC opponents they have given up significant yardage (345 yards per game) evenly spread through the air and on the ground. This is a huge game for both teams bowl hopes, but Ole Miss has a much more favorable schedule ahead and is the team that will be going bowling this year. The Rebels had very high expectations this year, I know their coaches and faithful were very high on their chances this season. They are a much better team than they have looked on paper in their last two outings and they will show it this week vs a very questionable Arkansas team. Ole Miss actually has covered 18 of their last 21 away from home! These seniors know how to get it done on the road. Rebels rise to the occasion and get this crucial win.  Mississippi  1 UNIT

Weekly Recap

Mississippi played well offensively, defensively, and on special teams in a very convincing win.  It is a good feeling to have a winning week.  Be sure to look for our college basketball one month free trial beginning this week.  If you have not yet joined our mailing list, do so now!