FACTS & STATS: Site: Vaught-Hemingway (50,577) -- Oxford, Mississippi. Television: CBS. Home Record: Tennessee 5-2, Ole Miss 4-1. Away Record: Tennessee 0-2, Ole Miss 2-2. Neutral Record: Tennessee 0-0, Ole Miss 0-0. Conference Record: Tennessee 2-3, Ole Miss 2-3. Series Record: Tennessee leads, 43-18-1.
GAME NOTES: For the first time since 2005, the Tennessee Volunteers and Ole Miss Rebels will battle in SEC action.
Tennessee has won its last two games to move to 5-4 overall, and the team needs one more victory to earn bowl eligibility. Last weekend, the Vols posted a 56-28 decision over Memphis in a non-conference, Homecoming affair. Head coach Lane Kiffin's first season as the leader of the Tennessee program has certainly had its fair share of highs and lows, but a win over Ole Miss on the road could represent the highest of highs. The remaining schedule is favorable, so don't be surprised to see the Vols run the table.
Meanwhile, the Rebels have won three of their last four games to earn bowl eligibility at 6-3 overall. They took a break from SEC play last weekend to record a 38-14 victory over Northern Arizona, and they hope to even their conference record at 3-3 on Saturday.
Tennessee owns a commanding 43-18-1 advantage in the all-time series with Ole Miss.
Tennessee's big offense effort against Memphis enabled the team to elevate is offensive stats for the season, and the club is now averaging 32.1 ppg and 400.4 total ypg. Jonathan Crompton has thrown 10 interceptions for the Vols, but the fact that he has tossed 21 touchdowns and thrown for 1,948 yards overshadows the mistakes. The Vols lack a standout receiver, so Crompton has had to spread the ball out to a number of different sources, making the quarterback's statistics all the more impressive. Montario Hardesty leads the ground attack with 901 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, while freshman Bryce Brown has provided 400 yards and three scores. Last week, Tennessee racked up 566 total yards against Memphis, and seven different Vols scored touchdowns. Denarius Moore had two receiving scores, and Crompton threw five touchdown pass while completing 21-of-27 throws for 331 yards.
The Vols have played a number of quality opponents this season, so the fact that they are only allowing 18.9 ppg is somewhat impressive. They are holding foes to 295.1 total ypg, a difficult feat to accomplish in the SEC. Opponents are gaining a mere 3.7 yards per rushing attempt and 9.5 yards per pass completion against Tennessee, which has been effective against both means of attack. The Vols have come up with 19 takeaways, but their total of 16 sacks is rather low. While it is a bit concerning that Tennessee allowed 28 points to Memphis last weekend, it is certainly worth noting that the Tigers scored three touchdowns in the second half. The game was already well out of reach at that point, and the Vols were playing many reserves.
Ole Miss is averaging 29.9 ppg this season while gaining 396.0 total ypg. Heading into this season, quarterback Jevan Snead was being billed as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Unfortunately, he got off to a horrendous start and has been trying to get back on track ever since. Snead has completed a mere 51.9 percent of his passes this season for 1,850 yards with 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. Shay Hodge leads Ole Miss with 45 catches for 733 yards and six touchdowns, while Dexter McCluster has over 800 combined rushing and receiving yards with four touchdowns. Brandon Bolden is the club's top ground gainer, as he has 523 yards on 100 carries. In the victory over Northern Arizona last week, Snead has a pair of short rushing touchdowns. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes to Hodge, including a 65-yarder in the third quarter.
Opponents are scoring 15.8 ppg against a tough Ole Miss defense, which is allowing 317.2 total ypg. The Rebels are giving up 134.6 rushing ypg at a clip of just 3.7 yards per carry, so coach Houston Nutt can certainly be proud of that statistic. He can also take pride in the fact that his club has only surrendered five passing touchdowns. Ole Miss has posted 25 sacks and registered 14 takeaways, and even when Snead and the offense were struggling mightily early on, the Rebel defense continued to play well. Greg Hardy was the player to watch, as the explosive defensive end had registered five sacks. However, he has been sidelined for the rest of the season with a broken wrist. Others will need to step up in his absence the rest of the way. In the victory over Northern Arizona last weekend, the Rebels were off a bit defensively. They permitted 354 yards to the FCS foe, including 233 yards through the air.
Nutt will find a way to rally his troops to knock off Kiffin's Vols. Expect a close game from start to finish.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ole Miss 23, Tennessee 20
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