Texas El Paso @ Mississippi preview
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Ole Miss was put on the ropes for more than half the game last weekend by what was considered an inferior opponent. Meanwhile, UTEP went even deeper into its contest with a top-five foe with the outcome still in the balance. In the end, the games played out as expected, with Ole Miss dispatching Central Arkansas 49-27 thanks to 35 unanswered points in the second half, and UTEP falling to Oklahoma 24-7. Both teams emerge from their respective openers with reasons for optimism and cause for concern.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Net LINE: Ole Miss -7.5.
ABOUT UTEP (0-1, 0-0 Conference USA): After entering last week’s game against the Sooners as a 30-point underdog, the Miners were tied at halftime and trailed just 10-7 after three quarters. Though Nathan Jeffery ran for 177 yards on 21 carries, UTEP never reached the end zone on offense, scoring its only touchdown when Jeffery scooped up a blocked punt and returned it 24 yards. The offensive difficulties came in the passing game, where senior Nick Lamaison completed just 6 of 23 attempts for 39 yards. Though Oklahoma ended up with 427 yards of offense, much of that came late in the game. UTEP's defense showed improvement over last year’s unit, which surrendered more than 30 points per game.
ABOUT OLE MISS (1-0, 0-0 SEC): The Rebels’ second-half acceleration was powered largely by quarterback Bo Wallace, who, like coach Hugh Freeze, was making his Ole Miss debut. The 6-foot-5 junior college transfer entered the game in a battle for the starting spot with Barry Brunetti. Wallace appears to have put some distance between himself and Brunetti by completing 20 of 24 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 82 yards and a score. As encouraging as the new quarterback’s play was, the Rebels' defense has plenty of room for improvement after surrendering 237 yards of offense to its FCS foe in the first half.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Ole Miss played 10 true freshmen in its season opener, including starting defensive tackle Issac Gross.
2. Jeff Scott, the Rebels’ leading rusher, is expected to return Saturday after missing the season opener due to a balky back.
3. UTEP won its only previous game in the state of Mississippi, a 40-37 decision over Southern Miss in 2008. The Miners defeated Ole Miss 14-7 in the schools’ only prior meeting, the 1967 Sun Bowl.
PREDICTION: Ole Miss 27, UTEP 16.