Scouting Report: No. 8 Ole Miss
Oklahoma picked up a much-needed road win at South Carolina over the weekend.
But this Saturday, the Sooners will face a much different test. No. 8-ranked Ole Miss comes to Norman for a clash between top-15 teams at Owen Field.
It’s an intriguing matchup between Brent Venables and Lane Kiffin. The Sooners’ defense, led by Venables, has been one of the best units in the country. The Rebels’ offense, led by Kiffin, has been as explosive as anybody in the SEC.
The Sooners are a 3.5-point favorite to win this weekend, but it’s certainly not going to be easy. The Rebels (6-1, 3-1 SEC) are coming off a tough loss to Georgia and need a win to stay afloat atop the SEC. This will also mark just the fifth time the Sooners have welcomed a top-10 team to Norman.
Here’s an early scouting report on the Rebels:
Game Info
When: 11 a.m. CT
Where: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC
Ole Miss Basic Overview
Scoring offense: 37.4 points per game (16th nationally)
Scoring defense: 22.6 points per game (T-52nd nationally)
Total offense: 491.9 yards per game (8th nationally)
Total defense: 362.3 yards per game (66th nationally)
Rushing offense: 187.7 yards per game (41st nationally)
Rushing defense: 166.7 yards per game (99th nationally)
Passing offense: 304.1 yards per game (8th nationally)
Passing defense: 195.6 yards per game (38th nationally)
Key Players, Offense
Trinidad Chambliss, QB
1,549 passing yards, 8 TD, 1 INT, 62.7% completion, 70 rushes, 323 yards, 5 TD
Kewan Lacy, RB
138 carries, 618 yards, 10 TD, 4.5 YPC
Deuce Alexander, WR
22 receptions, 382 yards, 1 TD
Harrison Wallace III, WR
21 receptions, 400 yards, 2 TD
TJ Dudley, LB
46 tackles, 1.5 TFL
Kam Franklin, DE
35 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks
Zxavian Harris, DT
31 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks
Early Observations
— Trinidad Chambliss poses a true threat to OU’s defense
This is the matchup to watch. The Sooners rank inside the top five nationally in essentially every statistical category, and they rank fourth in passing yards allowed.
But the Sooners haven’t faced a dual-threat quarterback quite like Chambliss. At least, not one with the infrastructure around him like Chambliss.
Chambliss has been explosive through the air. He’s tied for third nationally in passing plays of 30-plus yards with 17. He’s 17th in the country in yards per play (7.93). He’s also been both effective and efficient in the running game, averaging over 4.6 yards per carry. The offensive line has also been fantastic protecting him, allowing just seven sacks on the year.
This is a different kind of test for the Sooners. This might be the best offense they face all year, and Chambliss is the biggest reason.
— Rebels have struggled defending the run
The Sooners finally figured something out in the running game against South Carolina, finishing with 181 yards on 4.3 yards per carry.
They should be able to build on that against the Rebels, who have struggled all season defending the run. The Rebels don’t just rank 99th in rushing defense. They rank 112th in yards per carry (4.7) and 72nd in rushes of 10-plus yards allowed (31).
They’ve allowed at least 4.5 yards per carry and 170 rushing yards in five of their seven games. They were absolutely gashed by Kentucky (172 rushing yards, 4.7 YPC, 2 TD), Arkansas (221 rushing yards, 5.98 YPC) and Georgia (221 rushing yards, 4.5 YPC).
If the Sooners can seize the momentum from the South Carolina win, they should be able to find room to operate against Ole Miss.