Game To Watch: #13 Arkansas #17 Mississippi: October 9, 2021
Arkansas will travel to Oxford to play Mississippi on Saturday at 12:00 EST. The Rebels are 3 – 1 after losing to Alabama 42 – 21 last week. The Razorbacks also suffered their first loss of the season last week, falling 37 – 0 against Georgia. Both teams want to stay in contention in the SEC West, but will need a win Saturday to have a chance at catching Alabama.
Recent History
Arkansas holds the edge all time going 37 – 28 – 1 against Mississippi. The Razorbacks intercepted Matt Corral six times last year on their way to a 33 – 21 win at home. The Rebels had won two in a row prior to last year’s game. This is the second meeting for Sam Pittman and Lane Kiffin who both took over last year.
Top 25 Players
Arkansas
| Player | Pos Rank |
|---|---|
| KJ Jefferson | #20 QB |
| Treylon Burks | #12 WR |
| Tre Williams | #24 DE |
| Grant Morgan | #19 LB |
| Jalen Catalon | #6 S |
Arkansas Razorbacks
Mississippi
| Player | Rank |
|---|---|
| Matt Corral | #2 QB |
| Jerrion Ealy | #5 RB |
| Dontarrio Drummond | #14 WR |
Ole Miss Rebels Gear
What To Watch For…
Matt Corral vs Arkansas Take Two
Matt Corral has played very well this year, completing 70 percent of his passes, averaging 9.8 yards per pass attempt and throwing 10 touchdowns without an interception. He has also run for 161 yards and 6 touchdowns, doing a little bit of everything for the Rebels. He is the leader of an offense that averages 44.8 points per game, but this game will be a big one because of what happened last year against Arkansas. In 2020, Corral played the worst game of his season against Arkansas. He was held to a season low 52.6 percent completion percentage, averaged a season low 5.3 yards per attempt and threw a career high 6 interceptions in the game. With Corral struggling the offense sputtered and the Rebels lost 33 – 21 in Fayetteville. Corral will have an opportunity to redeem himself this year, Arkansas is better than they were last year, but Corral will do everything he can to play his best game against the Razorbacks on Saturday.
Can the Rebels stop Arkansas’ Running Attack?
Arkansas has an effective running game that does not rely on a single player to carry the load. The Razorbacks distribute carries to several young running backs. It’s an effective strategy, the running backs stay fresh and bring different skills to the table, attacking the defense in a variety of ways and wearing down the opponent. The Razorbacks have four running backs that have totalled over 100 yards rushing this season and all four have averaged over 4.8 yards per carry. As if that wasn’t enough, quarterback KJ Jefferson, has also rushed for 235 yards at 5.9 yards per carry himself. Alabama ran the ball very effectively against Mississippi last week and Arkansas is likely to test to see if they can follow a similar blueprint. The Rebels had held their first three opponents under four yards per carry and to 155 rushing yards or less, but the Crimson Tide ran for 210 yards at 4.2 yards per carry and 4 touchdowns. The ground game kept the Mississippi offense from getting too many possessions and wore down the defense. Arkansas has a good offensive line and a capable running attack, the Rebels will have to get stops to keep them from controlling the game.
Who Bounces Back Better After a Disappointing Loss?
Momentum is king, whether it’s in a particular game or the momentum that carries over from week to week in a season. Arkansas and Mississippi were both off to a great start this year but had a tough game last week. As much as the coaches need to game-plan for this game, they need to convince their players that last weeks game was just a bump in the road and not indicative of how the rest of the season will go. The team that bounces back and takes the early advantage is going to be in great position to get the win, while the other will feel like their playing up hill the rest of the game. This game could be as simple as which team is more confident in it’s ability after a tough loss. That team will likely win this game and get their season back on track, while the loser may continue to spiral downward.
Prediction
Mississippi is at home and Matt Corral is determined not to repeat his performance from a year ago. The Rebels will get out to a fast start and put pressure on Arkansas to get their offense going to keep up. The Arkansas defense will not let the game get out of reach, but the offense will not have enough firepower to catch the Rebels either. Mississippi 35 – Arkansas 27.
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Vaught-Hemingway Stadium 01 image taken by Matthew Nichols is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
