No. 6 Ole Miss, Kentucky Clash in SEC Challenge

Sep 27, 20243 min read

The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (4-0) will host the Kentucky Wildcats (2-2, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) at noon EST on Sept. 28 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. Both teams are looking for their first SEC win, as this game opens conference play for the Rebels, and the Wildcats dropped their first two SEC games.

What's at Stake?

The Rebels won 11 games for the first time in program history last season and look to expand on that this year by competing for the SEC title and making the 12-team College Football Playoff. To achieve that goal Lane Kiffin and the Rebels can't settle for anything less than a win against the Wildcats. The Rebels are also looking to add to their 10-game winning streak at Vaught-Hemingway and Kiffin seeks the 100th win of his career.

The Kentucky Wildcats are 0-2 in conference play and come into this game as 17.5-point underdogs. No team wants to start the season 0-3 in conference play and the Wildcats have a big hill to climb if they're going to avoid that. After coming off back-to-back 7-6 seasons the Wildcats need to show some improvement this season or Mark Stoops may be looking for a job. A win against the Rebels would put this team back on track and rejuvenate the fanbase.

Brock Vandagriff — ©JordanPrather-ImagnImages

Key Players: Ole Miss

Henry Parrish Jr., RB

Ole Miss must prove they can run the ball against Kentucky's stout front seven to avoid being one-dimensional and free up their prolific passing attack. Parrish has 427 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns in just four games and averages 7.5 yards per carry. While these are impressive numbers for Parrish, Kentucky will be the best run defense he has faced this season.

Princely Umanmielen, DE

Umanmielen leads the nation with 16 quarterback pressures to go along with his 2 sacks and 8 tackles. If Umanmielen can continue to disrupt the quarterback against Kentucky it will be a long day for the Wildcats and their subpar offense.

Key Players: Kentucky

Brock Vandagriff, QB

Vandagriff looked good last week against Ohio, but Ole Miss is not Ohio (2-2). Vandagriff needs to prove he is an SEC-caliber quarterback. The Rebels boast the No. 1 rushing defense in the country, which means Vandagriff needs to get the Wildcats' passing game going if they want a chance at victory in Oxford.

Deone Walker, DT

Walker is a force to be reckoned with on Kentucky's strong defensive line, with the ability to rush the passer and stuff the run. Kentucky's defense is one of the best in the country and that is in big part to their defensive line led by Walker. If Kentucky is to have a chance at winning this game it starts with Walker and the defensive line and their ability to disrupt the nation's leading passer, Jaxson Dart, and slow down Parrish and the run game.

Trends to Watch

Ole Miss has dominated both sides of the ball over the last four games but now enters SEC play. Are the Rebels who they seem to be or has their success been over-inflated due to the level of competition they have played thus far?

Kentucky has struggled throughout the season on offense but has looked great on defense in three of the four games they've played. Will the Wildcats' defense be able to slow down the Rebels like they did then-No. 1 Georgia (3-1, 1-0) two weeks ago, or will they stumble like they did against South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 ) in week 2?