Earlier this week I traded some questions with Olehottytoddy.com site expert, Drew Moak about the upcoming matchup between the Hogs and Rebs.
1. How do you see the battle going between what has seemed to be a struggling OM defense and the very weak O-line at AR?
The Ole Miss defensive line is the strong unit of the Ole Miss defense. It will be critical for Ole Miss to take care of that on paper advantage. What could be problematic for the Ole Miss defense is Austin Allen having enough time to find his tight ends or wide receivers in one on one coverage.
2. How do you feel about Chad Kelly’s chances against the Arkansas secondary?
I think Chad Kelly will do fine as long as he has time to throw. Ole Miss has a very deep receiving corp and from what I can tell the Arkansas secondary isn’t a strength.
3. Last year’s win over Ole Miss was huge for Arkansas but how big of a deal was the loss to OM fans?
It was devastating. It cost Ole Miss a chance to win the SEC West for the first time ever. That is still the big hurdle for the program. Looking back at it, that game probably cost Ole Miss the SEC Championship and an outside chance to make the playoff.
4. What do you feel are the OM advantages? Disadvantages?
The advantages are probably the Ole Miss receivers against the Arkansas secondary and the defensive line against the Arkansas offensive line. The disadvantages are probably the Ole Miss secondary and linebackers against the tight ends and receivers of Arkansas. One matchup that could be critical is the Ole Miss offensive line vs the Arkansas defensive line.
5. Your prediction for the game?
I think Ole Miss wins but it will be close. I think the line of 7.5 is about right so I will go with 45-38 Ole Miss.
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Many thanks to Drew for the outreach and great answers. Can’t say that I disagree with much of what he said except for maybe the score, however, my prediction can be found here. The Razorbacks kickoff against the Rebels at 6pm Saturday on ESPN. Woo Pig!