Kentucky @ Mississippi preview
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 16, 2006 ) Mississippi 14, Kentucky 31
A couple of the SEC's top multi-threat players square off in a game that will help decide two questions. Is Mississippi really as good as it looked in a 55-38 rout of Fresno State last week? Is Kentucky as bad as it looked in a 48-14 loss to Florida?
While Ole Miss (2-2, 0-1) finally showed some life, Kentucky (3-1, 0-1) got its first bitter taste of reality after a soft early schedule.
Now Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and Kentucky wide receiver Randall Cobb will see who can pile up the biggest numbers against defenses that have had trouble stopping people.
Masoli is just the type of dual-threat quarterback that lately has given Kentucky fits. The former Oregon starter has thrown for 733 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions, while rushing for 219 yards and two touchdowns.
Cobb, his team's Wildcat formation quarterback, has 111 yards and one touchdown rushing, 227 yards and two touchdowns receiving, two touchdown passes and a one touchdown on a punt return.
Masoli and Cobb also have strong supporting casts. The Rebels' romp over Fresno, with 425 rushing yards, vaulted them up several notches in the SEC statistics. They're third in rushing (247.2 ypg), fourth in scoring (36.0 ppg) and fifth in total offense (454.0 ypg). Junior tailback Brandon Bolden rushed for 228 yards on 19 carries against Fresno, including touchdowns of 60 and 71 yards, boosting his season average to 7.7 yards a carry.
Another positive trend for Ole Miss is some new stability on an offensive line that saw four different combinations in the first four games. The Rebels will start the same group as the previous week for the first time this year.
Kentucky running back Derrick Locke is second in the SEC, averaging 118.8 yards a game. Another deep threat has emerged in 6-foot-5 wide receiver Chris Matthews, who has 228 yards (averaging 17.5 yards a catch) and four touchdowns. He had 114 yards and two touchdown catches last week.
The explosive Wildcats will try to exploit an Ole Miss defense that has shown some holes and is hobbled by injuries. Mississippi has given up the most points in the SEC and will be without defensive end Kentrell Lockett, who suffered an ACL tear against Florida and is out for the season. A team captain, Lockett had 10 tackles for loss and five sacks last season.
The Rebels also could be missing two key members of a secondary that was already struggling, giving up 390 yards and four touchdowns through the air last week. Cornerback Jeremy McGee is probably out because of a concussion, and strong safety Johnny Brown is doubtful because of a knee bruise. On the upside, linebacker Jonathan Cornell is tied for the SEC lead with 39 tackles.
The Wildcats have done a good job protecting the ball. Their only turnovers of the season were a couple of interceptions thrown by fifth-year senior quarterback Mike Hartline against Florida. Hartline is 75 of 114 for 922 yards and six touchdowns.