Ole Miss Football: Rebels Look To Bounce Back In College Station

Ole Miss football will be back in action this Saturday as they travel to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies.

Ole Miss football (5-4, 1-4) has suffered two tough SEC losses in the past three weeks and look to bounce back this Saturday against the Texas A&M Aggies (5-4, 3-3). The Rebels fell in a 48-44 shootout with South Carolina this past weekend in a game they should have won. A win Saturday would put the Rebels at 6 wins which would match the record in 2017 and could actually still finish much better. However, the Aggies will not be an easy test.

The Aggies will come into Saturdays game off a 28-24 SEC road loss to the Auburn Tigers. While Texas A&M has seen a few tough losses the Aggies are a very well-coached and talented team who can put up their own huge numbers. Coach Jimbo Fisher is in his first season in College Station and has done remarkably well despite their overall record. Lets take a look at some of the Aggies key players on both sides of the ball.

Aggies On Offense

Ole Miss Rebels

The Texas A&M offense is led by sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond. So far Mond has completed 171 of 292 attempts for 2,252 yards and 12 TDs while throwing 7 INTs. Currently Mond sits at No.4 in the SEC in passing for his efforts.

In the backfield Mond is joined by junior running back Trayveon Williams. Williams has 166 carries for 931 yards and 10 TDs on the ground. Williams currently sits at No.2 in the SEC in rushing yardage.

Mond has his own group of talented receivers to throw to. Leading all Aggies receivers is junior TE Jace Sternberger who has 34 receptions for 568 yards and 6 TDs. Sternberger is joined by sophomore WR Camron Buckley who has 27 receptions for 388 yards and Quartney Davis who has 32 catches for 383 yards and 3 TDs.

Aggies On Defense

So far this season the Aggies have had games where their defense has struggled to make big plays however A&M has a very talented defense. Leading the Aggies in total tackles is senior LB Otaro Alaka with 53 tackles thru 9 games. Up front the defensive line is led by senior Kingsley Keke who leads the Aggies in sacks with 7 and also has 35 tackles.

When we say the Aggies have a great defense it is obvious when you look at their stats. Thru 9 games the Aggies have allowed just 22.22 points per game and allowed only 2,192 yards of total offense. Texas A&M is giving up just 81.4 yards per game on the ground while allowing 243.56 yards per game thru the air.

Observations

Despite the similarities between the Aggies and the Rebels on the offensive side of the ball there are noticeable differences on defense. Texas A&M has a good defense and the Rebels have major issues and have been inconsistent at best. With the Ole Miss defense we have to hope they show improvement from the past two games which were bad.

The Ole Miss offense should be able to move the ball against the Aggies and pick up scores but they have to be more consistent in the red-zone and get TDs. If the Rebels can move the ball in the run game it will certainly help open up the pass game. Ole Miss has great talent on the offensive side of the ball but there will have to be some big plays on defense for the Rebels to get the win. The Rebels defense has to step up.

Kickoff from College Station is set for 11am CT and the game will televised via CBS. There will be more coming from OHT as we get closer to kickoff and we have plenty to discuss so be sure to check back. Good luck to coach Matt Luke and the Rebels this weekend. Hotty Toddy!