New Mexico State @ Ole Miss preview

New Mexico State at Mississippi

Ole Miss looks to rebound from a disappointing loss and take out some frustration when it hosts winless New Mexico State on Saturday. It’s the first of two straight non-conference games for the Rebels, and they have a laundry list of things to tune up after last week’s blowout loss at Florida.

The 13th-ranked Rebels were riding high after a win at Alabama last month but have been unimpressive since and committed four turnovers in a 38-10 loss to the Gators. “We are not elite right now,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze told reporters. “We have potential to be much better than the way we played that night, and we’ve shown that, but we still have a lot of work to do.” The Rebels should be able to get their prolific offense back on track against a struggling New Mexico State defense. The Aggies have been close to breaking through for their first win, though, losing two straight games by a field goal or less before last week’s 38-29 defeat at rival New Mexico.

TV: Noon ET, SEC Network. LINE: Ole Miss -43.5

ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE (0-4): The Aggies haven’t had any problem putting up points, averaging 36 points in their past three games following a 61-13 loss at Florida to begin the season. Running back Larry Rose III (579 rushing yards, six TDs) and quarterback Tyler Rogers (966 passing yards, seven TDs, three interceptions) power the offense, and Rose is coming off a 260-yard game against New Mexico. The defense hasn’t been nearly as effective, allowing 544 total yards per game – including a whopping 275.5 yards per game on the ground.

ABOUT OLE MISS (4-1): Despite last week’s lackluster effort, the Rebels lead the SEC in scoring offense (45.8 points per game), total offense (500.4) and passing offense (327.4). Quarterback Chad Kelly is putting up huge numbers (295.6 passing yards per game, 11 TDs, four INTs), but Ole Miss might lean more on the ground game led by Jaylen Walton (292 rushing yards, three TDs) against the Aggies’ porous front. The Rebels’ defense has forced 10 turnovers – including seven interceptions – but has not recorded a takeaway in its past two games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Ole Miss is 29-1-2 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference.

2. The Rebels are 23-2 under Freeze when they rush for at least 150 yards.

3. The Aggies have allowed at least 200 rushing yards in every game this season.

PREDICTION: Ole Miss 52, New Mexico State 20