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No. 5 Ole Miss is playing Georgia Southern on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. ET in Oxford, Miss. The matchup will be available on SEC Network.
Rebels Make History
The Rebels (3-0) conquered their first road test of the season in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest last Saturday with a 34-point win. Ole Miss has had a historically impressive start to the season. Ole Miss is the first team in SEC history to score more than 150 points while allowing fewer than 10 points in its first three games.
Despite their commanding win against the Demon Deacons, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin was not happy with the amount of penalties the team compiled. The main focus during practice this week for the Rebels will likely be to correct those mental errors and be more disciplined as Ole Miss looks to open its SEC slate next week.
Uphill Battle For Eagles
Georgia Southern (2-1) enters this matchup after winning back-to-back games against Nevada and South Carolina State. The team’s only loss was handed to by Boise State during Week 1 of the season.
This will be the second meeting between the teams. Ole Miss won at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in 2016. Eagles coach Clay Helton is 2-1 against SEC competition, while Georgia Southern posts a 1-14 all-time record against the league.
Due to the success of the Rebels’ highly effective offense, the Eagles need to limit production from three key players. Senior quarterback Jaxson Dart has already surpassed 1,000 passing yards this season, while senior wide receiver Tre Harris leads the SEC with 436 receiving yards.
In regards to defense, sophomore linebacker Suntarine Perkins recorded a sack and an interception against Wake Forest.
Standout players for the Eagles include JC French, Tyler Fromm and Marques Watson-Trent, all of whom would need to perform at their best in order to match the Rebels’ competitive level of play.
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Converging Of Roads
Kiffin and Helton first met at the University of Southern California in 2010. Kiffin became USC’s offensive coordinator in 2013, while Helton served as the Trojans’ interim head coach before accepting the role in 2015.
Kiffin went on to reminisce about his memories with Helton in his media availability Wednesday:
