Mississippi defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (5) during an NCAA college football game against Tennessee in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014.
Continuing last week’s preview Ole Miss’ next matchup is against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Following a coaching change, Vanderbilt had a horrendous season last year. New head coach Derek Mason struggled in his first season: the Commodores went 3-9 and winless in the SEC. Last year the Rebels won 41-3, and it’s safe to expect a similar outcome this season.
Vanderbilt has taken some strides to improve, however, as Mason will be taking over the defensive playcalling duties, and former Wisconsin offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig will be taking over as the Commodores’ new coordinator.
He should be able to improve Vanderbilt’s running game, and will have Ralph Webb to work alongside, who looked like a future star as a freshman last year, carrying the ball 212 times for 907 yards and four touchdowns. Webb had 95 yards on 18 carries against Ole Miss last year, and could have an even better game this year. Quarterback is still a huge question mark for the Commodores, however, as junior Patton Robinette and sophomore Johnny McCrary are fighting for the job, but neither seem like great options at this point. Mason should also be able to improve a defense that was one of the worst in the SEC last year.
Prediction: Vanderbilt’s offense and defense should be better than it was last year, but Ole Miss is still a vastly superior team. Ole Miss 34 – Vanderbilt 6.
Florida finished last season at 7-5, but they were a couple of close losses away from putting together a solid season in the SEC East. Despite this, head coach Will Muschamp was fired and replaced with former Colorado head coach and Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain. The Gators currently don’t have an answer for who will be their quarterback, as the competition is between dual-threat sophomore Treon Harris and redshirt freshman Will Grier. Harris passed for 1019 yards and nine touchdowns with four interceptions and a 49 percent completion rate, while also running for 332 yards and three touchdowns with a 4.4 yard average. With this inexperience and uncertainty at quarterback, the Rebels secondary should be able to exploit the Gators’ passing attack and possibly cause some turnovers. However, Florida does have a solid running back with Kelvin Taylor, who put up back-to-back seasons with over 500 yards rushing as a reserve and scored 10 total touchdowns. He should have an even better season in McElwain’s run-oriented offense, and will likely be their number one option on offense. The Gators were good defensively last year, and should be again, especially with the arrival of star defensive end CeCe Jefferson.
Prediction: I think the Rebels will be able to handle a Florida team that puts up a pretty good fight, but just doesn’t have all the pieces to compete in the SEC yet. Ole Miss 31 – Florida 9.
New Mexico State is coming off of a season in which they won their first two games, but then fell apart and lost all 10 of their remaining games. The bright spot of this disappointing season was running back Larry Rose III. As a freshman, he ran for 1102 yards and nine touchdowns on 186 carries, including a 229 yard, two touchdown performance against Louisiana Monroe. If anyone is going to have some success against a stout Rebels defense, it will be Rose. While the running game looks promising, the passing game poses a lot of questions. Tyler Rodgers was thrust into the starting role as a freshman last season, and responded by throwing for 2,779 yards and 19 touchdowns, but also 23 interceptions. Rodgers’s top target was Teldrick Morgan, who was also a freshman, and should improve along with Rodgers. The biggest problem for the Aggies, however, was the defense, as they were the worst team in the entire nation at stopping the run, allowing 309 rushing yards per game. This inaction should lead to a huge day for Jaylen Walton and the rest of the Rebels backfield.
Prediction: The Rebels should have no problem dispatching the Aggies, and will get a good opportunity for their reserves and younger players to get some game time. Ole Miss 55 – New Mexico State 6.
After six games, the prediction is for the Rebels to be 5-1 at the halfway point in the season.
