Scoring hasn’t been much of a problem for Ole Miss. That was clearly the case in the Rebels’ previous game in which they subdued Memphis, 45-14, before heading into a bye week.
Mostly powered by Chad Kelly’s arm, the Rebels are managing 41.6 points per game, which is currently ranked 15th in the nation and second in the conference. Kelly passed for 361 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 30-for-44 completions against Memphis and there’s no reason for the Rebels not to look for their quarterback to try and wing in the showdown with the Razorbacks.
Kelly is having fun this season orchestrating Ole Miss’ air attack that also features a pair of deadly receivers in Evan Engram and Damore’ea Stringfellow. Engram is second in the conference with 488 receiving yards and four touchdowns while Stringfellow is 16th with 305 receiving yards to go with two scores.
That said, the Rebels need their backfield to complement Kelly and the passing game at least just to keep Arkansas’ defense honest. The Rebels’ running game is averaging a mediocre 157.0 rushing yards per game, 83rd in the FBS.
Sure, Arkansas is wallowing in the bottom of the SEC West standing standings with a 0-2 conference record, but don’t expect the Razorbacks to be fazed by the surging Bulldogs. After all, Bret Bielema’s boys have defeated Ole Miss in each of the last two meetings.
Spearheading Arkansas’ quest for a “three-peat” against Ole Miss is junior quarterback Austin Allen, who has been a picture of efficiency under center. He has 1,232 passing yards on the season with 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions. In addition, Allen is second to Kelly of Ole Miss in the conference with a passer efficiency of 158.1.
Allen had a heavy workload in the 49-30 loss to Alabama last week, throwing for 400 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 25 of 48 passes. Considering it was the Crimson Tide’s defense he was up against, Allen did a solid job of guiding Arkansas’ offense downfield.
Allen needs help from the backfield, however. Ole Miss is not a great defensive team against the run, letting opponents cover 215.4 yards per game on the ground—second most in the SEC.
Arkansas is 3-0 ATS in its last three games against Ole Miss.
