Rebels Prepare for SEC, PAC 12 Showdown Against California

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Heading into week four of the college football season, the Ole Miss Rebels are preparing to play host to the No. 23 California Golden Bears.

On Monday, Ole Miss Head Coach Matt Luke met with members of the media to discuss this PAC 12 vs. SEC showdown.

“We are excited about this opportunity. Cal is a very good football team,” Luke said. “Watching them on tape, the first thing that jumps out is how good and physical they are on defense.”

Cal (3-0) survived a non-conference matchup with North Texas 23-17 at home on Saturday. Two weeks ago, the Golden Bears traveled to Washington and knocked off the Huskies to open their conference slate.

This season, the Bears have a strong defense made up of several upper-classmen that the Rebels will have to combat.

“(Cal) has one of the best secondaries that we will face all year,” Luke said. “(They have) seniors across the board – a defensive front and leading returning tackler.”

Ole Miss (2-1) is coming off a 40-29 win over Southeastern Louisiana in which the Landshark defense held the Lions to less than 70-yards on the ground.

In 2017, the Rebels went to Berkley to take on the Golden Bears. California outlasted the Rebels by the score of 27-16 in the first portion of the home-and-home series. 

Luke said he looks for a “good turnout” from Ole Miss fans for an early kickoff at the Vaught. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ESPNU.