Tag: Arkansas Ole Miss

Five reasons Ole Miss beats Arkansas on Saturday

A healthy KJ Jefferson may not be enough for Arkansas to beat Ole Miss.

A healthy KJ Jefferson gives Arkansas more than a puncher’s chance to beat Ole Miss on Saturday.

An unhealthy Jefferson? Uh oh.

The Razorbacks quarterback should be good to go (shoulder) when the two teams meet on Senior Day inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. That’s dynamite news for Arkansas faithful.

But even if he does, the Hogs have their hands full. Ole Miss has lost just twice this season, to LSU and Alabama, two teams No. 6 and No. 8 for the College Football Playoff. The Rebels are favorites, road favorites even, in the penultimate game of the regular season and Jefferson’s questionable health isn’t the only reason why.

We gave three reasons the Hogs could win earlier this week. Now it’s time to examine the five reasons Ole Miss could reach the coveted 10-win mark.

Know thy foe: Ole Miss still hurting after Alabama loss

Can Arkansas take advantage of an Ole Miss team with potentially wounded pride?

Things were lining up for 2022 to be Ole Miss’ year, finally, at the top of the SEC. LSU had a new coach  after a mediocre 2021. Alabama looked beatable early and was beaten later.

Heck, even 10 games into the year, the Rebels have just two losses, having flirted with being at the top.

Those two losses have come to the Tigers and Crimson Tide. Most recently, the drop was brought on by Alabama. Ole Miss had the ball inside the Alabama red zone with less than two minutes remaining and trailed by just six.

Gut punch.

Ole Miss bounced back after a similarly-styled loss to LSU a couple weeks before. The Rebels handled Texas A&m with relative ease. They’re trying to do the same this week against Arkansas.

“I was in that situation 13 years ago, ball in our hands at Tennessee, going down to kick a field goal to beat Alabama,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “It doesn’t happen very often. It’s why there’s a lot of frustration.”

Kiffin is familiar enough with the feeling that he’s all but guaranteed to have his team ready Saturday night from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. If Ole Miss wins its final two games, it’ll mark the first time the program has had back-to-back 10-win seasons since 1959 and 1960.

Arkansas needs the win worse, though. The Razorbacks, a year after winning nine games, are stuck on five. One more victory gets bowl eligibility. A loss Saturday forces a must-win the day after Thanksgiving at Missouri.

The Hogs will get a prepared Ole Miss.

“I’ve kind of moved on already, after I watched the film,” Ole Miss safety AJ Finley said. “I probably moved on (Sunday), honestly. Just watch the game, get all of that stuff out of the way and move on.”

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A look at Arkansas next opponent, Ole Miss

The Razorbacks’ next opponent is fresh off a tough loss to Alabama, making Ole Miss even more dangerous.

Ole Miss chance of playing for an SEC championship and keeping their playoff hopes alive was officially ended after losing to Alabama, 30-24.

Ole Miss still fields a good team, and until they hit a wall in Baton Rouge against LSU, their season had National Championship hopes attached to it. Ole Miss run during the early stage of the Collge Football season showed how good this team could be.

Arkansas will have its hands full on Saturday.

Lane Kiffin grabbing Jaxson Dart out of the transfer portal may have been what the doctor ordered for hotty toddy. Dart, in his sophomore season, reignited his career after joining Kiffin. Entering USC as one of the highly touted freshmen in the 2020 class, but after three underwhelming starts, he decided to head south to the SEC.

Kiffin being the offensive genius he is, having a young quarterback like Dart is dangerous for opposing teams, and it’s shown. While Dart’s numbers are not eye-popping, watching him play, you understand why he was the Gatorade High School Player of the Year.

Quinshon Judkins is an All-American form, rushing for 15 touchdowns in 10 games, along with 1,121 yards on the ground. The freshman had an impressive rushing performance against Alabama, rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, his fifth straight game with 25-plus carries.

Ole Miss offense doesn’t have a strong pass block which was exposed against Alabama. Forcing Ole Miss into a primary pass situation offense, is where you can find advantages on defense. Still, they are very good at adjusting and making plays in the offense, thanks to Dart’s ability and talented receivers, scoring 40-plus five times this season.

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Sam Pittman: The transfer portal is a gift and a curse

The transfer portal has reshaped college sports for better and for worse, depending on who you ask. 

The transfer portal has reshaped college sports for better and for worse, depending on who you ask.

During his Monday press conference with the media in preparation for Ole Miss, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman extensively responded about the transfer portal and how it shapes his mindset in finding players.

“Everybody wants to win now. Yes, I think it certainly has changed the way that I’ve looked at the transfer portal, too,” Pittman said.

Some of the top players on the Arkansas roster are from the transfer portal. Jadon Haselwood was high-profile transfer from Oklahoma. Drew Sanders, who is on his way to being an All-American, likely, came from Alabama. And for Pittman, going out to get these guys was not an easy decision because it affects the current guys he recruited out of high school.

“Now I think if you have a really good player, regardless of what position he is, if he wants to come, you take him,” Pittman continued. “Before I wouldn’t do that. Before I was like ‘No, no, I’m going to be loyal to these guys. They’re plenty good enough for us to win the SEC.’ But part of that has become, with all the injuries that we’ve had this year, your backup better be as good as your starter or close to it.”

The best symbol for the gift and the curse effect is recruiting. Because of the portal, another element has been added to the overwhelming experience of picking the right school. Talent is being more scattered out, which could be a reason why Alabama hasn’t looked so dominant since the portal opened.

There has never been a time when talent is spread across the country like today.

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Pittman knows Arkansas will be fired up with Lane Kiffin in Fayetteville

Sam Pittman and Lane Kiffin have been involved in some absolute classics between Arkansas and Ole Miss.

Coaches love coaches, and that’s evident with Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman.

Pittman has garnered a lot of respect since joining the SEC as an offensive line coach at Tennessee. His career has led him to the head coaching job at Arkansas, and he was voted one of the conference’s most entertaining coaches. 

Pittman is one of the easiest guys to get along with in the profession. He makes pals easily, one of them being Lane Kiffin.

“It’s always exciting to play Ole Miss, especially with Lane being the coach. Popular man, great coach,” Pittman said. 

“It’s always exciting because the fans are going to be excited about the game because there’s going to be a lot of offense. Last year it was 52-51. I’d say that’s a lot of offense. I know they’ve got a really good offensive team, and we do, too. I think if we can get our quarterback, I think it’ll be one whale of a game just like these other ones have been.”

Last season, KJ Jefferson piled up 411 total yards and six total touchdowns in the Razorback loss. Having him on the field to duel with Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart will go a long way in determining Arkansas’ chance of winning this game.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

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Sam Pittman concerned with Jaxson Dart’s scrambling ability

Will the Razorbacks’ defense keep Jaxon Dart from scrambling to a win?

Arkansas is ready to get over the disappointing loss to LSU and start getting ready for another ranked SEC opponent, Ole Miss.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman expressed his concern about Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart’s ability to run the ball during his press conference Monday. Dart has 508 yards on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards every time he takes off.

“He’s a better runner than I want him to be,” Pittman said. “I’m really concerned about his running ability because he’s good at that.”

Pittman’s concerns are valid. Twice this season, Dart has rushed for 100-plus yards, dropping 115 yards against Auburn and 116 against Tulsa. The only thing Dart hasn’t done on the ground this season is score a touchdown.

At USC, as a starting freshman, Dart was not known for his scrambling ability, but he did score twice. Transferring to Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin has found a way to transform Dart into a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, which plays a massive role in their success this season.

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Everything Sam Pittman said Monday ahead of Ole Miss week

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is aware of the pressure on him and the staff ahead of the Ole Miss game.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is ready to embrace the challenge. He always has been.

The head Hogs coach said Monday during his weekly press conference he was fully aware of the pressure surrounding him and the program with two weeks left. Arkansas is 5-5 and hosts No. 14 Ole Miss on Saturday as underdogs. A loss to the Rebels and then another in the rivalry game against Missouri the day after Thanksgiving would leave Arkansas bowl-less.

Fans would turn into a mob. Questions would be asked. Serious ones. Pittman would likely enter 2023 on the proverbial hot seat.

But that hasn’t happened yet. And it might not. If Arkansas gets quarterback KJ Jefferson back and the Hogs defense plays the way it did against LSU, not only could they win, it might not be all that wise to pick against them.

Pittman knows all of this. He’s ready. Here’s everything he said to the media ahead of game week on Monday.

Arkansas at Ole Miss Prediction, Game Preview

Arkansas at Ole Miss prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 9

Arkansas at Ole Miss prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 9

Arkansas at Ole Miss How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 9
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Arkansas (4-1), Ole Miss (3-1)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Arkansas vs Ole Miss Game Preview

Why Arkansas Will Win

So the Hogs couldn’t handle Georgia in Athens. Big deal – no one (probably) can this year.

Nothing has changed.

The offensive line had a disastrous game and there were way too many penalties, but this team is still great at running the ball, and it’s going to rip through the Ole Miss defense that was finally exposed after facing a dangerous running team.

The defense is still going to be great overall – it wasn’t all that awful against the Dawgs – and the pass D remains among the best in the county. It held Texas to 118 yards through the air, and it held Georgia to just 72.

Ole Miss can move the ball in a variety of ways, but it’s not going to bring the power like Georgia did.

– Week 6 CFN College Football Expert Picks

Why Ole Miss Will Win

So the Rebels couldn’t handle Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Big deal – no one (probably) can this year.

Nothing has changed.

Matt Corral is still a fantastic quarterback who’s as solid as any in college football. Lane Kiffin is still a great head coach who just wants everyone to enjoy popcorn. The defense might have finally dealt with a truly dangerous offense, but it’s still good enough to hold serve against an Arkansas attack that’s not going to rip through the Rebels.

For all of the good things the Hogs do, they have a major penalty problem, they struggle too much on third downs, and …

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What’s Going To Happen

Ole Miss has an even bigger penalty problem, and for all of the great things it does offensively, it’s not anything special on third downs.

It’s one of those weird games that won’t necessarily confirm anything after both schools respectively lost to the two best teams in college football, but it should go a long way to determining who the second-best team in the SEC West is.

Arkansas will bounce back faster.

The offensive line is going to look and play a whole lot better than it did after dealing with the Georgia defensive front.

Ole Miss will strike fast, but it’ll be a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race thing. Arkansas doesn’t do the time of possession thing, but it’ll have the ball for close to 35 minutes as the running game takes over in the second half.

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Arkansas vs Ole Miss Prediction, Line

Arkansas 30, Ole Miss 27
Line: Ole Miss -6, o/u: 66.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5

Must See Rating: 4.5

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