Ole Miss and Kentucky each lost season openers last Saturday, with the Rebels losing to Florida and the Wildcats falling at Auburn.
The two teams will square off Saturday in Lexington (3 p.m. CDT, SEC Network) looking for their first win of the 2020 season.
RebelGrove.com publisher Neal McCready and CatsIllustrated.com publisher Justin Rowland exchanged questions and answers in advance of Saturday's game.
Justin Rowland: 1. What did you learn about the Rebels in that 51-35 loss to Florida that you might not have known before the game?
Neal McCready: What did I learn? Where to start? It’s been a blank canvas this offseason, so I’m not sure I had expectations. I learned that Kiffin will do what he’s always done — get the ball to his playmakers and let them make plays. I learned that he’s not afraid to make the unpopular move if he feels it’s in the best interest of his team and program. And Justin, I learned that Ole Miss’ defense might actually be worse than I thought it might be. Ole Miss has to really hope Florida is a top-five offense.
JR: 2. What kind of quarterback is Matt Corral and how does he put pressure on a defense?
NM: Matt Corral won the starting job last year, too. Then he got hurt and when he came back, Matt Luke and Co. had basically moved on to John Rhys Plumlee. That killed Corral’s confidence. All you have to know about Corral is there was a ton of interest in him, as most anticipated he’d enter the transfer portal. That didn’t happen and he is a good fit for this offense. Corral has a strong arm. He is athletic and can really run. He’s competitive. The knock on him has always been decision-making but he was pretty strong in that area against Florida.
JR: 3. What are the biggest questions facing the Rebels' offense and defense for the rest of this season?
NM: Offensively, it’s just about red-zone efficiency and consistency. Defensively, it’s everything. Everything is a question. Everything.
JR: 4. Besides the obvious -- Corral, Ealy, Elijah Moore -- who are some Ole Miss players Kentucky fans should know about?
NM: Tight end Kenny Yeboah, a transfer from Temple, was a big weapon in the second half against Florida, and Kiffin loves to use the tight end in his offense. Wide receiver Dontario Drummond had a big game against the Gators as well. Keep an eye on Jonathon Mingo, another wide receiver with big-play potential. Defensively, Ole Miss is waiting for linebacker/defensive end Sam Williams to have a huge game. He missed much of the preseason with a legal issue (charges were dismissed), but he showed some rust against Florida. Also, Ole Miss is hoping Georgia transfer safety Otis Reese is cleared. Kiffin has said Reese is the best defensive player on the Ole Miss roster.
JR: 5. Any thoughts or feeling on how the game might play out (prediction ok but not a must).
NM: I expect a very close, entertaining game. I think Kentucky will try to work clock and out-physical Ole Miss and I expect Ole Miss will try to attack the Wildcats’ pass defense. I think both teams will score in the upper 20s to upper 30s. It should be a fun game. I’m leaning towards Kentucky, but I like Ole Miss getting seven points.
NM: 1. Auburn appeared to get Terry Wilson out of UK’s expected gameplay Saturday. Were you surprised the Wildcats abandoned the running game as early as they seemed to?
JR: The first half focus was all on running the ball and short passes. They had a huge advantage in total plays and time of possession going into the locker room so, yeah, it seemed like a given they would double down on that after intermission. What happened was they got stuffed a couple of possessions in a row coming out of the locker room and I think they decided they needed to mix things up a little bit. Then once Auburn opened up a little bit of a lead they were in a situation where they had to pass. Most of the time they're going to keep the ball on the ground so it was a little uncharacteristic of them. But they did try it. Auburn just defended the run pretty well.
NM: 2. Let’s talk about Wilson as a passer. Kyle Trask lit up Ole Miss’ secondary. Does Wilson have the skill set and weapons to repeat that performance?
JR: Terry Wilson is not Kyle Trask. He's capable of executing a conservative, ball control offense and making some play action throws down the field. But he's not the kind of guy who's consistently stretching the field with his arm or hitting the sideline 20 yards downfield on a rope. That's just not his game. Most of his throws were right around the line of scrimmage against Auburn and that was in part probably due to him shaking off rust. But Ole Miss can expect a guy who is going to run the ball a bit, who will find the backs and receivers close to the line of scrimmage, and only occasionally test them downfield. Different players, different offenses.
NM: 3. Ole Miss rolled up more than 600 yards of offense against Florida. How much of a concern is the Rebels’ passing game, given what Auburn and Bo Nix were able to do against the Wildcats on the Plains?
JR: Going into the season there was every reason to be very bullish on Kentucky's secondary. They were No. 2 in the nation in yards allowed and ranked up there with Clemson and Ohio State in touchdown passes allowed. They returned pretty much everyone, added LSU cornerback Kelvin Joseph, and got former starter Davonte Robinson back after he missed all of last year with an injury. But against Auburn this secondary was not special. They allowed Bo Nix to play a very efficient game. Part of that was Nix played one of his best games in college and Auburn has some good receivers. If you really dig into the action from last year a lot of freaky monsoon games and a slate of bad opposing quarterbacks skewed the numbers a bit, you have to say. The best receivers they have faced have had success. Florida and Tennessee last year, Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, Auburn in the opener. This is a sound defense and a sound secondary but the question everyone is asking is whether they have any star power. Ole Miss will be a very big test just as Auburn was.
NM: 4. To the best of your knowledge, what is Kentucky’s injury and/or COVID situation heading into Saturday’s game.
JR: They haven't said anyone in particular is out with COVID-19 but it was reported that one guy didn't make the trip to Auburn, and at gametime wide receiver Bryce Oliver (a starter, but probably their No. 4 receiver) was announced out at gametime. The secondary had some COVID cases during camp but it's been a slow trickle and not the kind of thing that has hit them or their most important players very hard.
NM: 5. From 30,000 feet, if you will, it looks like Mark Stoops has done a great job at Kentucky. I’m curious, though. Are the expectations there for Stoops to make another step to challenge the elite programs in the East (Florida, Georgia) or are most content to fight Tennessee for third place in the division?
JR: The hope was that the step forward to East contention could materialize this year given the number of starters that returned to an 8-5 team. I'd say those expectations should be on pause after the opener. What I said about the defense can be said about the entire team. Very sound group. Fundamentally sound. Very physical. But they do not have the same level of elite athletes at some positions as you will find at the West's top programs or UF and UGA. That doesn't mean they can't win any of those games. They play Florida very tough almost every year. Two years ago (2018) the East title was decided in a late season UGA-UK game in Lexington. So they can get the cusp of that. Realistic Kentucky fans will be forever happy with a coach who averages seven or eight wins a year whether he ever wins an East title or not.
