OXFORD, Miss. — If you don’t have a ticket for Saturday morning’s game against Kentucky you’ll have to watch on television. Vaught-Hemingway has been sold out.
The Rebels lead the nation in both scoring offense and scoring defense, turning in the most dominant start in college football this season. The offense isn’t that bad, either.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart is talked about every week in terms of the Heisman Trophy. Now they’re going to be going against the Kentucky Wildcats, who came in within making one big offensive play of creating chaos in a 13-12 loss to No. 2 Georgia.
The Rebels are a massive favorite on the ESPN matchup predictor.
How to Watch: Ole Miss vs. Kentucky
Date: Saturday, September 28
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Oxford, Mississippi
Site: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Tickets: SeatGeek
What to Wear: Stripe the Vaught
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN App/SEC Network+
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/watch
Live Stats: Click Here
Digital Program: Click Here
How Wildcats Keep Piling Up Wins
Kentucky nearly pulled off one top-five upset already this year, coming just two points shy of an upset of No. 1 Georgia.
In a defensive battle, the Wildcats took a first-quarter lead and didn’t trail into the fourth quarter, when a Branson Robinson touchdown put the Bulldogs ahead 13-9.
Kentucky cut the lead to one on a field goal with 6:01 to go and had the final possession but ran out of time in a 13-12 defeat. With that experience in their rearview, do the Cats have what it takes to pull off the upset this time?
Ole Miss Offense Against Kentucky Defense
When Ole Miss has the football, one of the game’s best offenses will take on one of its best defenses.
Kentucky ranks among the top teams nationally in every major defensive category: No. 6 in total defense (217.0 YPG), No. 11 in rush defense (74.8 YPG), No. 15 in scoring defense (12.5 PPG) and No. 21 in pass defense (142.3 YPG).
The Rebels are similar offensively: No. 1 in total offense (670.8), No. 1 in scoring offense (55.0 PPG), No. 1 in passing offense (422.8 YPG) and No. 12 in rushing offense (248.0 YPG). Which unit will win out?
How Does Rebels’ Defense Handle SEC?
The Ole Miss defense has been fantastic through four weeks, ranking No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (5.5 PPG) and rushing defense (34.5 YPG) and No. 12 in total defense (239.0 YPG).
How will those numbers hold against an SEC offense? Ole Miss has benefited from having the No. 2 red zone defense in the country, allowing just four scores and one TD on eight attempts.
The Rebels have shown that they can bend but not break, will that continue against SEC-level talent?
Darty in the Sip a Day Party in The Grove
This will be Ole Miss’ first 11 a.m. kickoff of the season, and thus, the first Day Party in the Sip of the 2024 football season. With SEC play beginning, the Rebels will need a raucous crowd at kickoff to continue their trend of taking control of games early and not letting go.
The Rebels have scored on the opening drive of every game this season, including three touchdowns. It took Ole Miss just 1:23 to find the end zone at Wake Forest and 0:31 against Georgia Southern. Rise early, Rebel Nation.
Rebels’ Jaxson Dart Setting Pace Offensively
No one has kept pace with Jaxson Dart statistically through four games as he has emerged as one of the nation’s top Heisman Trophy favorites.
Dart is No. 1 nationally with 388.5 yards per game, about 30 ahead of his nearest competition. His 219.5 passer rating also leads college football, as do his 13.1 yards per attempt, and his 79.8 completion percentage leads all passers with 100-plus attempts.
Information from Ole Miss Sports is included in this story.
