Eye on Oxford
While many scrutinize ’Bama-LSU game, UA-Ole Miss looms large.
FAYETTEVILLE — The college football world may be focused on Saturday’s Alabama-LSU game, but the road to the SEC West title doesn’t run through Tuscaloosa, Ala., or Baton Rouge.
It runs through Oxford, Miss., where Arkansas plays No. 19 Mississippi at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the opener of a CBS doubleheader leading into the Alabama-LSU primetime telecast.
Ole Miss (7-2, 4-1 SEC) is in control of the West by virtue of winning 43-37 at Alabama Sept. 19.
If the Rebels win at home against Arkansas and LSU and at Mississippi State, they’re assured of claiming the West title and playing in the SEC Championship Game for the first time.
“I like the position that we’re in because we’re relevant,” Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze said Monday at his weekly news conference. “We’re a factor.
“The only game that matters Saturday is us vs. Arkansas. We
haven’t really talked about the future and what it can hold, because the games can be too close to call.
“Arkansas can beat anyone in this conference. So can we. I’m glad we have them at home.”
Freeze has no problem with all the attention on the Alabama-LSU game.
“If we’re flying under the radar, then good,” he said. “I think I like it better that way.”
The Rebels have beaten Texas A&M 23-3 and Auburn 27-19 since losing at Memphis 37-24.
“Everyone has come together again,” Ole Miss junior defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche said after the Auburn game. “It got all discombobulated
for a little bit, but right now I feel like we’re back on the same page. We feel good.”
Junior wide receiver Derrick Jones said the Rebels have their edge back.
“Our defense is playing great right now, the offense is scoring,” Jones said. “I just
feel like we know what type of talent we have on this team, and that if we play to our best ability, we can play with anybody in the country.”
Freeze said losing at Memphis (8-0), which is ranked No. 15 in this week’s Associated Press poll, was disappointing, but didn’t ruin the season.
“We weren’t the first ones to get disappointed, and it may happen again,” he said. “You can’t live and die with one win or one loss.
“You have to keep pressing on. Our coaches have done a good job of doing that and our players have responded nicely.”
Ole Miss leads the SEC in scoring offense (39.1 points per game) and total offense (519.6 yards) led by junior quarterback Chad Kelly and junior receiver Laquon Treadwell.
Kelly leads the SEC with
2,865 passing yards and has 20 touchdown passes. Treadwell leads the SEC with 61 catches for 870 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Ole Miss junior offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, a preseason All-American pick, will be playing his third game Saturday after being held out of the first seven games as punishment because the NCAA ruled he accepted an impermissible benefit for driving a loaner vehicle provided by an Oxford auto dealership for six months without payment.
“Laremy being back has really infused us,” Freeze said.
The Rebels, with former Arkansas assistant Dave Wommack as their defensive coordinator, lead the SEC and are tied for 11th nationally with 12 interceptions. Their 17 takeaways are second in the SEC.
Ole Miss has 16 sacks, with sophomore defensive end Marquis Haynes leading the way with 71/2. Senior safety Trae Elson leads the Rebels with four interceptions.
“I think the front four got a lot to do with it,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos said of the Rebels’ ability to force turnovers.
“They make guys throw a little too soon or maybe throw it off their back foot, and then their secondary is very well-coached, very disciplined and they’re in the right spot a lot of the times.”
Ole Miss has swept Alabama and Auburn for the first time since 2003 — when quarterback Eli Manning led the Rebels to a 10-3 record and share of the West title with LSU.
And it’s the first time the Rebels have beaten the Crimson Tide and Tigers on the
road in the same season.
Freeze has the Rebels bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive season since arriving from Arkansas State after leading the Red Wolves to the 2011 Sun Belt Conference championship.
The Rebels are 31-17 under Freeze, including 16-6 since 2014, after they were 2-10 before he took over the program.
“We would love to win every game, but I don’t know if that happens with a lot of teams every year because of games where you don’t play your best and other teams do,” Freeze said. “I said the only promise I would make is that we would be competitive and relevant in the Southeastern Conference, and we are.
“We’re not going away. We’ll continue to be competitive.”