Arkansas Football: Arkansas-Ole Miss Prediction
By Tommy Tabler
Arkansas and Ole Miss are slated to play tomorrow afternoon, so now it is time for the prediction and breakdown.
The Arkansas-Ole Miss matchup has morphed into one that did not look favorable to Arkansas into one in which the Hogs have a good chance of winning. Injuries and illness are going to play a major role in who wins this football game. The Arkansas Razorbacks and Ole Miss Rebels each come into this game off of some hard-fought losses. Each team will be looking to rebound and get some momentum rolling.
Arkansas will need to find a way to keep the Ole Miss offense off of the field. The best way to accomplish this task is to have some long-sustained drives. Having Rakeem Boyd and Trelon Smith get the ground game going. Smith has played well in place of Boyd. Smith is a versatile running back that does an excellent job out of the backfield of catching passes. Smith has caught 14 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown. Arkansas shortening the game is a solid plan and will keep that high-powered Ole Miss offense off the field.
However, special teams’ mistakes must be avoided. The mistakes are all of the nature that can be corrected in practice. Alignment penalties should be hammered out before lining up to punt or attempt a field goal. The Arkansas Razorbacks have done a good job recently of not giving up the big play on kickoff or punt returns and that is a trend that will need to continue on Saturday.
On the defensive side of the ball, it will be important to force Ole Miss off of the field when they are on offense. Forcing turnovers will be key, Arkansas has done an impressive job of forcing turnovers. Jalen Catalon and Joe Foucha will need to step up and keep the Ole Miss wide receivers at bay. The defense is going to be tested in this game and defensive coordinator Barry Odom will have his work cut out for him on Saturday.
The matchup has turned more favorable for Arkansas as the week has progressed, but it is still not a good one. Injuries on both sides of the ball will impact both teams. The Hogs have kept every game competitive and this one should not be that much different. The injuries on the defensive side have me worried and I have Ole Miss defeating Arkansas 41-37.