Ole Miss Football: 3 players to watch in week 8

Ole Miss are back in action in week 8, with a tough road game against SEC West rivals Auburn. Will there be any bye week hangovers for the Rebels? Who will be the players to help prevent that on Saturday?

Dayton Wade

The passing game has been headed by Tre Harris when available. However, Jordan Watkins and Dayton Wade held the fort very well when Harris and others were down.

With reports surfacing that Watkins had suffered an injury during training, head coach Lane Kiffin came out and said he would feature in week 8. With that being said, Watkins could still see less snaps if the injury is still lingering.

Wade could see more targets if this is the case. He has already shown he is a reliable option when needed, with 390 receiving yards from 27 receptions. Wade has two TDs on the season, both coming in the last two games.

Wade will be a key factor on the offense for the Rebels, being able to stretch the field is a big plus for the team. Expect fireworks from Wade against Auburn.

John Saunders Jr.

The secondary has been a big concern over the last two games, something that has been noted by Lane Kiffin. The head coach said in his weekly press conference it was something they had worked on during the bye week.

The team has given up 694 passing yards over the last two games, including 414 to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The secondary needs to show that they are ready for Auburn in week 8, with everything that they have worked on improving, coming good.

John Saunders Jr. is a leader on the backside of the defense and he will be an important voice on Saturday. Saunders has led by example with 4 PBs and an interception on the season. The DB also has 32 total tackles. Those stats should increase after the Auburn game.

Jared Ivey

The defensive front has caused some havoc this season, especially stopping opponents run games. They held an explosive Arkansas rush attack to just 36 yards on the ground.

The sacks and QB pressures have come the way of the linebacker group, with 8.5 sacks between them.

The DL have struggled to cause problems. Jared Ivey has 2 sacks, but his talents as a pass rusher should be generating more pressures and sacks.

Ivey has been a big part of stopping the run. However, getting to the QB quicker is going to help the secondary. It would be great to see some sacks from Ivey and the defensive line against Auburn on Saturday.