Dylan Rubino – The Daily Mississippian Sports Editor
As Ole Miss and Boise State meet in Atlanta to kick off the college football season Aug. 28 at the Georgia Dome, both teams look to start off the season with quality wins.
Returning experience will be huge for the Rebels, as they return 15 starters overall, but the same goes for Boise State as the Broncos return 15 starters as well.
This season is a fresh start for Boise State as they lose long time head coach Chris Peterson, who took the head-coaching job at Washington this offseason. Under Peterson, the Broncos went 92-12 overall in eight seasons. New head coach Bryan Harsin will fill the head coach position nicely, as he was the offensive coordinator for Peterson when at Boise State.
In his third year as head coach for Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze looks to turn the corner and be a contender in the SEC. With the recruiting class this offseason focusing on depth and speed and the exposure of playing in two NFL stadiums to start the season, the Rebels are looking forward to a new season starting off with Boise State.
One matchup I’m looking forward to is the Ole Miss pass rush against the Boise State offensive line. With CJ Johnson returning from injury and Robert and Denzel Nkemdiche, the pass rush looks to improve from last season, where getting pressure in the opposing backfield was a question mark. The offensive line for the Broncos is a cause for concern also, losing three starters up front.
Boise State was known for having dominating defenses under Peterson, but that started to slow down in 2013. High powered offenses gave the Broncos fits, giving up 38 points to Washington and Oregon State, and 37 to BYU, all resulting in losses. How will the Bronco defense stack up against the up-tempo offense Freeze and the Rebels run?
Both teams will be ready for this much-anticipated showdown to start the season. Playing in Atlanta will certainly give the edge to the Rebels, as fans will travel from Oxford. The Ole Miss offense and depth on defense will prove to be too much for Boise State to handle.
Ole Miss 35, Boise State 21
John Engel – The Arbiter Sports Editor
The end is near. After 231 long days, Bronco Nation can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and the return of Boise State football. I hope everyone is ready for a show.
Frankly, the Broncos season opener against the Ole Miss Rebels in this year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is a must-win if Boise State wishes to prove they are still a football power on the national scale. A loss would send the Broncos down the rankings, with few opportunities to climb back up in the Mountain West Conference.
To defeat Ole Miss, Bryan Harsin is going to need to bring back some of the magic that made him one of the nation’s most coveted offensive minds.
There are a lot strengths for the Broncos. They have experience and great playmakers in their offensive skill players, a ball-hawking secondary and an athletic, senior quarterback in Grant Hendrick. After that, we pile on the weaknesses.
Inexperience along both the offensive and defensive lines spell doom against SEC teams, even a school like Ole Miss that has a long way to go before they are in the same conversation as Alabama, Auburn and LSU.
Hendrick has proven he has the ability to get the ball to playmakers like wide receivers Matt Miller and Shane Williams-Rhodes. Jay Ajayi has to be in the conversation as one of the best running backs in the nation.
If Hendrick spends his night on the big stage in Atlanta on the run, and if Ajayi is stopped by the Rebel defenders, does it really matter?
Boise State has the opportunity to do some real damage to Ole Miss, but their holes along the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense are just too glaring to ignore.
Hendrick will struggle against a hostile defense (and crowd) and Ole Miss’ offense, despite being inexperienced, will find plenty of opportunities to exploit Boise State’s defensive line.
Sorry, Bronco fans. Harsin will likely lead Boise State to a 10-win season this year; that first win will just have to wait a little longer.
Ole Miss 23, Boise State 17
