3 Keys to Ole Miss Beating Memphis

Coach Hugh Freeze leads his team on the field as the Rebels prepare to take the field Saturday taking on the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday at Vaught-Hemmingway stadium. Photo courtesy of Bill Barksdale

Last week, the Rebels got back in the win column with a 45­-14 thrashing of then #12 Georgia. This week, the Memphis Tigers will be in Oxford to continue a bitter rivalry between the two. Although Ole Miss dominates the series with a record of 48-­11-­2, the Tigers are the most recent victor, winning last year’s matchup by a score of 37-­24. Both teams will be highly motivated on Saturday, as the stakes are high in this non-conference battle. Here are three things the Rebels must do in order to take back control of the rivalry.

Through the first half, Evan Engram had run for 82 yards on 4 receptions and one touchdown as the Rebels take on the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday at Vaught-Hemmingway stadium.

1. Speed up the Tempo

Like the Rebels, Memphis has a very high powered offense, averaging just over 51 points per game. In the past, Hugh Freeze has gone to a more conservative style of offense against teams like this, in order to keep momentum away from the opposing offense. This year is different. If the Tigers want to come to “The Vaught” and try to beat Ole Miss at their own game, Freeze needs to accept the challenge and force Memphis to keep up with the tempo. If Ole Miss can make this an offensive shootout, the Rebel’s offense will just be too much for the Tigers to handle.

Ole Miss’ DeMarquis Gates tackles Georgia running back Nick Chubb as the Rebels take on the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday at Vaught-Hemmingway stadium.

2. Control the Line of Scrimmage

While these two teams share similar styles of play, what is not similar is their offensive and
defensive lines. Simply put, Ole Miss has the upper hand in both talent and depth along both lines. However, the Tigers proved last year that talent can be easily trumped by pure willpower. The Rebels’ offensive and defensive lines must come out from the start with the mentality to dominate their opponents.

Ole Miss’ John Youngblood encourages the student section after a successful stop as the Rebels take on the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday at Vaught-Hemmingway stadium.

3. Play with Confidence

Having won last year, Memphis will stroll into Oxford with plenty of confidence. Expect them to get off to a pretty fast start because of that. No matter what happens Saturday night, the Rebels need to remember one thing: they are the better team. Although the Tigers certainly have the firepower to pull off the upset, Ole Miss is simply more talented than their opponent. If the Rebels can maintain confidence throughout the contest, they should have no problem fending off the Tigers.

Cole Crenshaw is a intern with HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at tccrensh@go.olemiss.edu

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