Wofford @ Mississippi preview
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
It turned out to be a season-opening showdown to forget for Ole Miss, and the 18th-ranked Rebels will be looking to clean things up Saturday in their home opener against FCS foe Wofford. At least there’s not much time to lament the squandered 22-point lead over Florida State as the game took place on Labor Day night in Orlando.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 28-6 advantage over the fourth-ranked Seminoles, but four turnovers by senior quarterback Chad Kelly jump-started a Florida State rally which produced 33 unanswered points. The end result was a 45-34 loss and the Rebels’ first season-opening defeat in five years. “There was going to be a good football team that walked out of here tonight not feeling well, and it's us,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze told the media afterward. “We did not deserve to win the game the way we played the second half.” It was only the fifth loss in 32 games for the Rebels when leading at halftime under Freeze.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network. LINE: None
ABOUT WOFFORD (1-0): The Terriers, of the Southern Conference, opened their season on Sept. 1 with a 21-7 win at Tennessee Tech and are seeking a return to the postseason after missing out with a 5-6 record a season ago. Paced by tailback Will Gay and fullback Lorenzo Long, Wofford finished fourth in the FCS ranks in 2015 with an even 300 rushing yards per game, but settling on a starting quarterback continues to be an issue after three QBs received starts last season. Projected starter Evan Jacks is currently out with a knee injury and juniors Brad Butler and Brandon Goodson are expected to see time under center for the second straight game.
ABOUT OLE MISS (0-1): Despite the undesirable end result, Kelly did throw for 313 yards and four touchdowns against Florida State, and his favorite target was tight end Evan Engram, who caught a career-best nine passes for 121 yards and a score. The Rebels’ up-tempo offense is just fine when putting up points, but it also can work against its own defense as Ole Miss was on wrong end of a 42:39 to 17:21 time-of-possession count Monday. The Rebels have some shoring up to do in the secondary after losing top cornerback Ken Webster to a season-ending knee injury against Florida State.
EXTRA POINTS
1. This will be the first meeting between the programs, but Wofford is 1-18 against FBS opponents with its lone win coming in 2000 against ULM.
2. Ole Miss was outrushed 161-67 in the opener, with Akeem Judd pacing the Rebels with 44 yards on eight carries.
3. Saturday’s contest is a classic sandwich game for Ole Miss, with home dates against top-10-ranked SEC foes Alabama and Georgia closing out the September schedule.
PREDICTION: Ole Miss 51, Wofford 10