My comparisons...
QB's : Snead has been a little shaky this year. Has been dealing with the flu and passing of grandfather a week or so ago. He really came on as the season progressed last year and i think he will do the same this year. Regardless, Snead is a better QB than Garcia. Snead has to be careful with the INT's though.
RB's : Ole Miss has the edge here. They have several of them, including a bruiser named Brandon Bolden. He is a bull. The Rebels won't throw out of the wildcat and they won't need to with all of their RB's. SC's RB's are a mystery to me.
Offensive line: Pass protection is a big unknown with the Ole Miss line. Replacing Mike Oher at the left tackle spot is still a work in progress. They are huge and can run block, but pass blocking will be key. Pressure on Snead could change everything. SC's offensive line is a little undersized but with Garcia's scrambling ability shouldn't be a big deal. Getting an offensive line push against the Ole Miss d-line is going to be a challenge.
TE: Ole Miss is without their senior tight end and it hurts them. Forced to play freshmen in that spot. SC's junior TE saunders is solid and advantage goes to SC.
WR: Ole Miss has a solid group of WR led by Shay Hodge who has good hands. They are still looking for a deep threat replacement for Mike Wallace though. SC has a couple tall lanky recievers that could pose matchup problems with the Ole Miss DB's. A concerning stat for SC WR's is that through 3 games there is only one TD reception by Gurley. Ouch. Ole Miss WR Dexter Mcluster is a game changer and is good for 1 or 2 TD's each game. He is a tough matchup for SC on crossing routes.
Defensive Line: Ole Miss has some nasty defensive linemen, and a lot of them. They will get some snaps out of Greg Hardy but he will be limited to 3rd down pass plays i would imagine. Establishing a run game against these guys will be key for SC, i'm not sure they can do it. SC will benefit with the return of Ladi and Nathan Pepper but they are still a little thin on depth. Which could be a problem facing the wildcat offense and a host of fresh running backs Ole Miss will throw at them.
LB: Kind of an unknown for Ole Miss. They have a freshman linebacker that has really been playing well, but the other's haven't been spectacular by any means. When a freshman is outplaying juniors and seniors in a LB role, that may signal problems. For SC, how healthy is Eric Norwoood? If he is limited it could be a long night for the Cocks.
DB's: Ole Mis has serviceable DB's, but historically Ole Miss DB's have had a knack for making an average QB look like a heisman candidate. See, Chris Smelley for the Cocks last year. SC DB's are a liability. They are talented but young and the injuries they have suffered to the Safeties doesn't help. Ole Miss offensive coordinator will attack that weakness.
A lot has been made about the Ole Miss schedule and their shaky start against Memphis. I don't take a lot from that game being that Memphis plays Ole Miss tough every year, it is their super bowl. SC hasn't beaten anyone yet either.
Overall, I don't think SC matches up that well against Ole Miss. Ole Miss should be able to run the football and pass when they want to. Houston Nutt has teams that play well on the road... In fact they may play better on the road than at home.
Ole Mis will score their points 31-34 i would predict, but can SC's offense put up more than 21 against Tyrone Nix's defense?
My lean is Ole Miss. Thoughts?
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