Sep 123 min read

Wake Forest Takes on Kiffin, No. 5 Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin and No. 5 Ole Miss travel to Wake Forest Sept. 14th — © Petre Thomas Imagn Images

Wake Forest (1-1, 0-1) is coming off a tough home loss last week to Virginia. A game the Demon Deacons led until a meltdown in the fourth quarter. This week’s matchup will challenge Wake Forest unlike any opponent on their schedule as Lane Kiffin and the No. 5 Ole Miss Running Rebels (2-0) come to Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Can the Deacons play above their means and shock the Rebels? Find out at 6:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 14

Wake Forest Defensive Woes

Wake Forest has found an offense behind the arm of quarterback Hank Bachmeier. Bachmeier has thrown for 666 yards and 4 touchdowns and has the Wake Forest offense ranked in the top 20. While the offense seems to have found its footing, the defense is struggling to succeed. Wake Forest’s defense looked great in Week 1 but in their first real test against Virginia, the defense failed to maintain a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter. They looked confused in the secondary and lost their advantage when the offensive tempo of Virginia increased. Ole Miss has a much better array of talent than Virginia and this Wake Forest defense will be tested again this week early and often.

Wake Forest QB Hank Bachmeier throws a pass vs. NC A&T — © Jim Dedmon Imagn Images

Wake Forest Key Players

Offensive Line: The OL gave up 6 sacks last week and if Wake Forest has any chance they will have to keep Bachmeier upright.

QB Hank Bachmeier: Bachmeier starts the season on a hot streak with 4 TDs and 0 INTs. He needs to continue playing mistake-free football to topple the Rebels this week.

Ole Miss Passing Rebels

The Rebels have been impressive so far this season. Sure their opponents have been less talented teams but Ole Miss has handled business. They outscored opponents in those games 128-3. QB Jaxson Dart and his top target, wide receiver Tre Harris, have left secondaries baffled and several steps behind. The running game has been secondary to the prolific passing attack but running back Henry Parrish Jr.’s 9.3 yards per carry and 4 TDs present another dynamic facet of Ole Miss football. Kiffin and the Rebels are favored by 23 and currently the top offense in the NCAA according to ESPN.com.

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart is a 2024 Heisman hopeful — © Petre Thomas Imagn Images

Ole Miss Key Players

QB Jaxson Dart: The aptly named QB is just 205 yards short of 1,000 passing yards on the season. Dart will surpass that in the first half and continue to impress Heisman Trophy voters and fans.

WR Tre Harris: Dart’s top WR will continue to impact the Rebel’s passing game and will do so against an experienced secondary at Wake Forest. Harris’s ability to exploit mismatches will be tested this week.

Head to Head

The history of this matchup, albeit short, favors Wake Forest who leads the series 2-0. However, these are not the same programs from 2006 and 2008. Wake Forest is a good program that is still trying to find consistency and this matchup will push this team to its mettle. Wake Forest will have to play stout defense for four quarters to keep the star talent of Ole Miss from running all over the stadium. Ole Miss greatly outmatches Wake Forest in this game and the results will feel much like the Rebel’s first two games. Expect a route in Winston-Salem—Ole Miss 45, Wake Forest 16.