Headlines
Ole Miss Will Have to Beat Aggies, 12th Man, In College Station
The second week in October marks a Rebel showdown with the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, Texas.
If Ole Miss somehow gets past Alabama unscathed, Aggieland and the 12th man presents a serious threat to the Rebels for a an SEC loss.
Over the past two seasons, Texas A&M has gotten the best of the Rebels with the magical footwork of Heisman- winning quarterback Johnny Manizel, now in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns.
For Coach Kevin Sumlin’s team, winning an SEC West title has been an elusive mission since the Aggies joined the conference in 2012. That year, A&M stormed through the Western division blowing by every team with a flurry of points and offensive fireworks.
Then the Aggies shocked the SEC, traveling into Bryant-Denny Stadium and defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide. Manziel’s performance in that game alone secured him the Heisman.
Last season, the Manziel-led offense still put up points and won A&M games, but in the big contests, the Aggie defense wasn’t able to keep their opponent out of the end zone. That weakness cost them a chance to play for an SEC Championship.
This season, without Manziel, Aggie fans wonder who will be the next QB to replace Johnny Football. Reports suggest right now it’s a neck-and-neck race between sophomore Kenny Hill and freshman Kyle Allen. Coach Sumlin told reporters after an open practice that both Hill and Allen where “dead even” to date.
So when Coach Hugh Freeze and the Rebels roll into College Station to face the Aggies in front of 106,000 fanatics in Kyle Field. Ole Miss will have to be firing on all cylinders with Bo Wallace and the offense raking up yards and points.
The Ole Miss defense will have five games under their belts. If key defenders — Tony Conner, Cody Prewitt, CJ Johnson, Deterrian Shackelford, Robert and Denzel Nkemdiche on the field on third down, the Rebels can get the ball back to the offense.
In this game, Ole Miss will be licking its wounds and searching for a victory against Manziel-less A&M, but in the end after dropping a close game to Alabama the week before. we predict the Aggies pick up their third in a row against the Rebels.
Adam Borwn is HottyToddy.com sports editor.