An early-season setback has put No. 12 Ole Miss in a precarious position here in Week 6.
Following a loss last weekend to open Southeastern Conference play, the Rebels will face South Carolina on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.
After a weak nonconference schedule that included just one Power Four opponent (Wake Forest), the Rebels (4-1, 0-1 SEC) know that serious business is ahead — starting SEC play with two losses would hinder their chances at a postseason berth.
Things went poorly for them last Saturday on their home field against Kentucky, which entered its first road matchup of the season at 2-2 with the most memorable moment being a one-point loss, 13-12, to then-No. 1 Georgia.
The Ole Miss defense could not get off the field against the Wildcats, who shortened the game by holding a 39:43-20:17 advantage in time of possession.
Making matters worse, the home side had the game in hand until Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff converted a fourth-and-7 from his own 20 with 4:02 left, lobbing a 63-yard pass to Barion Brown for the Wildcats’ longest play this season.
A fluke Kentucky touchdown on a fumble, and Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis’ miss of a potential game-tying 48-yard field goal in the final minute, left the Rebels with a 20-17 loss.
Despite being favored by more than two touchdowns, Mississippi lost at home to Kentucky for the first time since 1978.
On Monday, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said South Carolina presents a different defensive structure than the one Wildcats coach Mark Stoops fielded.
“Very different player types than last week. Polar opposites and very different schemes,” Kiffin said. “Kentucky is ultra sound, keeping things in front of you with really big bodies. … These guys (the Gamecocks) are built on speed and twitch. Both present problems.”
For South Carolina (3-1, 1-1), it expects the return of quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who has battled an ankle injury suffered in a 36-33 loss to then-No. 16 LSU on Sept. 14.
Sellers, a redshirt freshman, completed 9 of 16 passes for 113 yards with an interception against the Tigers. He also rushed 10 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard scoring scamper for the program’s longest TD run ever by a quarterback.
However, Sellers left the game in the second quarter, and LSU outscored the Gamecocks 20-9 in the second half.
Picked to finish 13th in the 16-team SEC, South Carolina rebounded with a 50-7 nonconference win over Akron behind a three-TD showing by Sellers’ backup, Robby Ashford.
Top running back Raheim Sanders left the Akron game with a foot injury, but he and Sellers should be fine for Saturday.
“These guys have good weapons and present a challenge with the ability to escape,” Kiffin said of Ashford and Sellers. “Robby is an elite runner and issues that come with that. So it is going to be a really big challenge for us.”
Ashford passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a game-best 133 yards and one score against Akron.
“Been through a lot of ups and downs in my career,” said Ashford, who played two seasons at Auburn. “It’s taught me a lot and I wouldn’t change (it) for anything. … The road’s been tricky, but at the end of the day, it shaped me into who I am today.”
Ole Miss leads the all-time series with South Carolina 9-8. The teams’ last meeting resulted in a 59-42 Rebels win in 2020.
–Field Level Media
