Kentucky vs Mississippi Betting Preview: A Pair of Undefeated Squads to Meet in Oxford
Quarterback Levis and Dart in the Spotlight When Kentucky and Ole Miss Square Off
Will Defense Steal the Show when Kentucky Meets Ole Miss?
Kentucky vs Mississippi Betting Preview: Kentucky’s Will Levis and Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss are both showing up in the Heisman Trophy odds and the two talented passers combined for six touchdown passes and no interceptions in last week’s game. However, they might have a tough time matching those numbers. Kentucky ranks second in the SEC in passing efficiency defense with a mark of 97.96, joining Alabama as the only SEC team to hold opponents under 100 in passer rating. Ole Miss comes in at 103.33.
Kentucky has limited foes to 50.4 completion percentage, the best mark in the SEC while the two teams have seven interceptions and only five touchdown passes. Stay up to date with all of the latest NCAAF odds right here.
The Rebels are among the five SEC teams with more than 10 plays from scrimmage of at least 30 yards.
Kentucky would be wise to keep Ole Miss out of the red zone as the Rebels have 19 touchdowns and no field goals in 21 trips to the red zone this season. Kentucky has settled for field goals on five of the 14 scoring drives that reach the red zone. The Rebels are among the five SEC teams with more than 10 plays from scrimmage of at least 30 yards. That is one of the reasons that the Kentucky vs Mississippi betting preview favor the host Rebels.
Kentucky moved up one spot to No. 7 and Ole Miss went from 16th to 14th in the Associated Press poll. The Wildcats are eighth and the Rebels 11th in the American Football Coaches Association poll.
The weather shouldn’t be an issue with partly cloudy conditions and temperatures in the low 80s.
When looking at the NCAAF odds, Kentucky and Ole Miss are tied for fifth in the odds to win the SEC title.
Kentucky vs Ole Miss Game Information
- Game: Kentucky 4-0 (1-0 in the SEC), Ole Miss 4-0
- Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS
- Day/Time:
- Television: ESPN
Kentucky Wildcats
It will be interesting to see what happens with Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez, the Wildcats’ leading rusher in 2021 with nearly 1,400 yards. He was suspended for the first four games.
Kavosley Smoke filled in admirably with 263 yards and 5.2 yards per carry. However, as a team the Wildcats averaged only 2.4 yards per rushing attempt. The negative yardage by quarterback Will Levis hasn’t helped the rushing numbers.
Levis is completing 67.5% of his passes for 1,185 yards and 10 touchdowns. Freshmen Dane Key and Barion Brown have stepped in to team with senior Tayvion Robinson as the top receiving options.
Kentucky has allowed 16 sacks and 25 tackles for loss so that is a concern. The offensive line issues figure to play a role in why the Kentucky vs Mississippi betting preview show the host Rebels as the favorite.
Ole Miss Rebels
Freshman Quinshon Judkins has made an immediate impact for Ole Miss with 429 rushing yards and five touchdowns while TCU transfer Zach Evans had 365 yards and four TDs helping Ole Miss lead the SEC with an average of 280.3 yards per game on the ground. That ranks fourth nationally and second among Football Bowl Subdivision teams. With the way the Rebels are running the ball, it is not a surprise that the Kentucky vs Mississippi betting preview have the Rebels favored by 6.5 points.
USC transfer Jaxson Dart has been solid, but not spectacular at quarterback as he is completing 62% of his passes with five TDs and two interceptions.
Seniors Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath are both over 200 receiving yards.
Junior Khari Coleman has 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks to lead the defense.
Kentucky vs Ole Miss Injury Update
Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez is eligible to return after being suspended for the first four games of the season. Defensive end Sam Anaele is questionable and running back Ramon Jefferson (knee) is out for the season.
For Ole Miss, receiver Jaylon Robinson is questionable. Defensive lineman Pegues and linebacker Khari Coleman are expected to play.
Kentucky vs Ole Miss Head to Head
Ole Miss has won three of the last four games with an average of 77 combined points being scored in the games won by the Rebels. The lone victory by Kentucky in that stretch was a 30-13 win at home in 2011 as a two-point underdog.
In the most recent game, a missed extra point in overtime was the difference as Ole Miss won 42-41 in 2020 as a seven-point underdog on the road. The Wildcats ran for more than 400 yards in the loss while Ole Miss averaged 11 yards per passing attempt.
Kentucky vs Ole Miss Betting Preview
This will be an interesting game as Kentucky will try to limit the effectiveness of the Ole Miss running game and make quarterback Dart beat them. Dart showed that ability when he was at USC, but he has been limited in the opportunities to make big plays down the field.
Kentucky is tied for the SEC lead with three offensive plays allowed of at least 20 yards with Ole Miss not far behind with five such plays allowed so this might be a game where explosive plays on offense could be limited.
The total has gone under in four of Kentucky’s last six games. The total has also finished under in 15 of Kentucky’s last 20 road games. For Ole Miss, the total went under in 11 of the last 12 games.
The Wildcats are going after their ninth win in a row and are 5-1-1 against the spread over the last seven. The Rebels have won 10 straight home games
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