Arkansas @ Ole Miss preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 27, 2012 ) Mississippi 30, Arkansas 27

Arkansas looks to end a six-game losing streak when it hits the road to face Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi on Saturday. The Razorbacks are winless in conference play, thanks in part to playing five straight nationally-ranked foes. The Rebels have been playing well over the last month and come into the game having won two straight.

Arkansas wants to keep the game on the ground, having rushed for at least 200 yards as a team in six of nine games this season. Mississippi, on the other hand, relies on the passing game behind quarterback Bo Wallace, who ranked fifth in the SEC in passing yards (247 ypg). The Rebels are coming off their highest-scoring game under coach Hugh Freeze, a 59-14 win over Idaho.

TV: 12:21 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: Mississippi -16.5

ABOUT ARKANSAS (3-6, 0-5 SEC): While the Razorbacks have been successful on the ground, they are still aware that the passing game must improve if the team is going to break into the win column in SEC play. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said he saw that part of the offense improving in the loss to Auburn last Saturday. “There was more consistency in their performance and that is what we are looking for,” Chaney said. “I also think that collectively as a team we improved in every aspect of the passing game.”

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI (5-3, 2-3): Many SEC teams want to play an uptempo style of offense, featuring the passing game and a spread look. But Arkansas likes to grind it out on the ground, which worries Freeze, who fears the different tempo and look could slow down his own squad. “They know who they want to be, no question,” Freeze told the Daily Mississippian. “They control the clock so much. They are such a scary team because they run it so well.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arkansas RB Alex Collins leads all NCAA freshmen with 889 total rushing yards, and his average of 98.8 rushing yards a game is fourth in the SEC and 26th in the nation.

2. Mississippi is in the midst of a six-game stretch of home games, the first time in 118 years of football that the Rebels have hosted so many straight contests.

3. The two schools have a differing opinion of the all-time series, with Mississippi counting a 1914 game between the two as a 13-7 win while Arkansas claims it as a forfeit victory to give it a 32-26-1 edge.

PREDICTION: Mississippi 35, Arkansas 20