No. 13 Missouri prepared for No. 9 Ole Miss

No. 13 Missouri was scheduled to visit No. 9 Ole Miss on Oct. 17 for a matchup between SEC teams carrying identical 2-1 conference records. The Tigers entered at 5-1 after consecutive SEC victories, while the Rebels were 4-1 following a 52-17 win at Vanderbilt.

Missouri’s clearest offensive advantage was running back Jamal Roberts, who rushed for a career-high 222 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-6 victory over Texas A&M. That followed a 211-yard performance against Florida, making Roberts the first Missouri player with consecutive 200-yard rushing games.

Roberts led the SEC and ranked second nationally with 828 rushing yards through six games. PFF credited him with an FBS-leading 673 yards after contact, accounting for 76.9% of his PFF-charted rushing yardage. Ole Miss was allowing 176.4 rushing yards per game.

Missouri also brought balance through quarterback Austin Simmons and receivers Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode. Simmons had completed 107-of-165 passes for 1,434 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception, while Lee and Olugbode had combined for 68 receptions, 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Ole Miss countered with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who had completed 122-of-174 passes for 1,435 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. The Rebels were averaging 38.8 points and 433.8 total yards per game, including 300.6 passing yards.

The other defining matchup involved Missouri’s run defense. The Tigers had held Florida and Texas A&M to 69 combined rushing yards over their previous two games and were allowing 78.3 rushing yards per contest. Missouri also carried an SEC-leading PFF pass-rushing grade of 87.7, with Daeden Hopkins recording 7.0 sacks.

Ole Miss had scored on all 20 of its red-zone opportunities, including 18 touchdowns.

Why it matters

Missouri and Ole Miss each entered the matchup 2-1 in SEC play. The game paired Missouri’s strong rushing offense and run defense against a Rebels offense averaging 38.8 points per game.

What to watch next

The next scheduled event in the source was Missouri’s Oct. 17 visit to Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.