Kentucky (3-5) vs. Ole Miss (2-6) Preview

Game Facts Ole Miss finished the 2010 season 4-8 including a victory over Kentucky. The Rebels enter the game Saturday on a three game losing streak. Kentucky lost to Mississippi State last weekend 28-16. Game will be played at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, KY Game will be televised on ESPNU at 3:30pm EST. Ole Miss snapshot The Rebels are struggling this season and many feel Houston Nutt’s career is likely over in Oxford. They enter the game Saturday on a three game losing streak. So far on the season, they have defeated Southern Illinois and Fresno State. They have suffered losses to BYU, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn. Their last SEC win was against UK last season. Houston Nutt has struggled to find a quarterback this season. He has used three different players under center. It appears their staff has settled on Randall Mackey. In his last game against Auburn, he threw for 157 yards on 15 of 27 passing attempts. Against Arkansas, he threw for a career high 219 passing yards. Mackey is also capable of hurting defenses with his feet. Jeff Scott and Brandon Bolden are the team’s leading rushers. Scott leads the team with 472 rushing yards. However, Bolden rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn last week. The Rebels top wide receivers are Donte Moncrief and Nickolas Brassell. Both are freshmen and very capable of making plays. Another freshman UK fans may remember is Collins Moore. The Cats were close to landing his commitment and he is seeing action this season. Earlier this week Joker Phillips talked about the Rebels offensive line. He considers them one of the largest units his team will face all season. This is the same unit that contributed to the rushing attack that posted over 200 rushing yards against Auburn. The Rebels defense ranks No 104 in the nation in total defense. They have struggled to stop the run this season. They have managed to hold a team under 100 rushing yards once this season. Fresno State posted 163 rushing yards for the second lowest rushing total this season. Every other team has rushed for over 200 yards against the Rebels while Alabama posted over 300 yards. Kentucky snapshot The Cats are in a very similar situation as Ole Miss. In fact, this game will likely determine which team is the worst in the conference. While the Cats lost last week to Mississippi State, there appears to be hope. Maxwell Smith has been named the starting quarterback following his efforts last week. It appears Morgan Newton is questionable for Saturday as the back-up. If Newton is unable to play, the staff has stated Bookie Cobbins will remove his redshirt. The Cats are still banged up at the running back position. Josh Clemons remains out for the remainder of the season. Raymond Sanders is doubtful and CoShik Williams suffered an injury this week in practice. If Williams is unable to go, then Jonathan George and Brandon Gainer will carry the load. In my opinion, Gainer has all of the tools to become an every down type of back. While Maxwell Smith showed promise last week, he must continue to improve. He appeared to have chemistry with Matt Roark, but will need to stretch the field against Ole Miss. Many fans hate it, but look for Smith to turn to the sidelines often to make sure he is checking to the correct play. While Matt Roark had a huge game last week, the Cats need more production from the entire unit. Brian Adams made a huge catch on fourth down, but the offense needs more production from him. La’Rod King was pretty quiet last week, but the staff acknowledged the play calling was really designed for more crossing patterns. I believe the Cats will try to stretch the field with Adams and King on Saturday. On defense, the Cats will be looking to stop the run and avoid any big plays. As I mentioned above, Mackey is a mobile quarterback and they have very capable running backs. However, after witnessing Mississippi State’s passing attack, look for Ole Miss to throw the football. The Cats have shown they are vulnerable to the pass. Keys to the game Last week the Cats forced three turnovers, controlled the clock and still managed to lose. If the Cats are able to win the turnover margin, they should win the football game. Ole Miss doesn’t have an explosive offense, so winning the time of possession will be key also. Maxwell Smith doesn’t need to play a perfect game, but he must do all the little things right. Many fans are attending the game tomorrow simply because they want to see Smith play. How will he do changing plays at the line of scrimmage? Will he take as many hits as last week? How is his chemistry with the running backs? Randy Sanders and Joker Phillips have spoke highly of Smith this week. This may be his best opportunity to lock down the starting job for the remainder of the season. Can the Cats make adjustments of defense? Houston Nutt will have a few tricks up his sleeve. He always does. Are the Cats ready? Nutt will look to run some jet sweeps to get his playmakers outside. I wouldn’t rule out a few tricks on special teams either. Avoiding the big play will be huge for UK. Just two weeks ago, Ole Miss jumped out three scores against Arkansas. If this happens tomorrow, I doubt the Cats have enough weapons on offense to play from behind. If the Cats win, they can build on this game and possibly salvage their season. If not, they could very easily finish the season winless in conference play. UK 23 Ole Miss 21 As always, you can check out Bleed Blue Kentucky or follow me on Twitter.