Memphis @ Mississippi preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2015 ) Mississippi 24, Memphis 37

Racing out to huge early leads in high-profile games hasn't been a problem lately for Ole Miss, but sealing the deal has, at least prior to last weekend. It's an issue that reared its ugly head in a shocking loss at Memphis last season, and one the 17th-ranked Rebels hope to avoid again Saturday when they host the Tigers.

Ole Miss held a 14-point advantage over Memphis just over five minutes into last season's meeting before a Paxton Lynch-led offense unleashed 31 consecutive points over a stretch of nearly 21 minutes en route to a 37-24 victory for the Tigers. The Rebels also coughed up a 22-point lead in a 45-34 loss to then-No. 4 Florida State on Sept. 5 and watched a 21-point cushion against No. 1 Alabama quickly evaporate 12 days later before scoring the first 45 points of the game last week on their way to a 31-point victory against No. 20 Georgia. Lynch has since moved on to the NFL, but Riley Ferguson has filled in admirably to this point and led Memphis to a 77-3 rout of Bowling Green last weekend in which he tied his predecessor's school record by accounting for seven touchdowns. In doing so, the Tigers have opened 3-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1927-28.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: Ole Miss -14.5.

ABOUT MEMPHIS (3-0): Ferguson was named American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week despite playing only the first half of last weekend's thumping of the Falcons; his 359 yards passing was the 11th-highest single-game mark in school history, while his six passing touchdowns fell one short of Lynch's school record. Anthony Miller tallied 10 catches during last year's upset and leads the team with 17 receptions this season, while leading rusher Doroland Dorceus needed only nine carries to accumulate 117 yards versus Bowling Green, joining Miller as one of 11 Tigers this season to score a touchdown. After recording one takeaway against Southeast Missouri State in the opener, Memphis has forced 10 turnovers the last two games and is tied for fourth in FBS with 11.

ABOUT OLE MISS (2-2): Chad Kelly continued his assault on the Rebels' record book during Saturday's victory over Georgia, completing a TD pass for the 17th straight game to break Eli Manning's school record while also moving past Archie Manning into sixth place on the total yardage list with 5,901. Evan Engram leads all FBS tight ends with a SEC-best 26 catches and 397 yards receiving, the latter of which is good for 13th among all players in the country. Senior defensive back Derrick Jones ran back Ole Miss' first interception of the season 52 yards for a touchdown last weekend - only one of four turnovers forced by the team this season - while junior linebacker DeMarquis Gates is one of nine SEC players with at least 30 tackles.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Memphis has outscored its opponents 70-3 in the first quarter and 118-13 in the first half, while Ole Miss holds a 41-6 advantage over its foes after one quarter and a 107-33 edge at the break.

2. Tigers kicker Jake Elliott is six points short of moving past DeAngelo Williams (362) for sole possession of second place on the school's all-time scoring list and 13 points shy of topping Stephen Gostkowski (369) for first.

3. Despite last season's loss to Memphis, the Rebels have won 15 of the last 20 meetings and hold a 48-11-2 lead in the all-time series.

PREDICTION: Ole Miss 41, Memphis 31