Team: University of Mississippi (Ole Miss Rebels)
Conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Game Date: November 6 (Week 10)
Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium – Oxford, Mississippi
Game History: This will be the first meeting between Liberty and Ole Miss.

Coach – Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss is home to one of the most well-known and polarizing coaches in college football. Lane Kiffin, who enters his second year with the Rebels, has quite the history both on and off the field. The offensive mind has coached in various positions at both the college football and NFL level, seeing healthy success for the NCAA. One of his more famous stops was Alabama (’14-’16) as the offensive coordinator. He coached a number of notable names like QB Jalen Hurts and RB Derrick Henry and won a national championship there. His head coaching experience (61-34) includes a year at Tennessee, four years at USC, three years at Florida Atlantic, and now a year at Mississippi. Most recently, he won two C-USA titles in three years for the Owls.

2020 Record: 5-5. In light of the pandemic, the SEC played a conference-only schedule. That schedule remained relatively intact for the Rebels who only had one game canceled toward the end of the season. Ole Miss reached the postseason, beating No. 11 ranked Indiana 26-20 in the Outback Bowl.

2021 Outlook:

Offense was not a problem for Ole Miss in 2020. It won’t be a problem for them in 2021 either. Their young line, which returns a healthy majority, is the starting point for their success. They blocked for 211 rushing yards a game and gave junior QB Matt Corral time to sling the ball downfield. Mississippi returns a number of playmakers like junior RB Jerrion Ealy who is a threat all over the field. While two of their top pass catchers have moved on, Ole Miss has the talent in senior receivers Dontario Drummond and Braylon Sanders to move forward without issue. Simply put: The Rebels are set up to be the best offense in college football this year. They will cause issues in the SEC and be a challenge for the Flames.

As lights out as their offense was, the Rebel defense couldn’t get their act together. Ole Miss had one of the worst defenses last season, second only to North Texas, another 2021 football opponent for the Flames. They allowed an average of 519 yards a game to opposing offenses, struggling to stop the run and allowing QB’s to throw for 312 yards a game. Unfortunately, they lost their leading tackler LB Jacquez Jones to Kentucky and need senior LB Lakia Henry to fill Jones’ shoes. As good as their offense is, it’s nearly impossible to win when allowing teams to move the ball that easily. A number of defensive players like junior S AJ Finley and senior DE Sam Williams have to step up, make stops, and force turnovers in order for this team to excel.

Ole Miss found themselves in a number of shootouts thanks to this mixture of high-powered offense and saloon-door defense. There should be a little bit of this in 2021 has well. Despite those struggles, going 5-5 during a pandemic, with a brand new head coach, and winning a bowl game isn’t an easy feat. With Lane Kiffin now established and an growing awareness to their defensive needs, this team should have a winning season this year. It also helps that their schedule isn’t a buzzsaw of SEC teams.

Offensive Player To Watch – Junior QB Matt Corral

The best way to explain this for Liberty fans: Matt Corral is to Ole Miss what Malik Willis is the Liberty. Not just in position, but ability and importance. Corral sat atop most passing categories for the 2020 season, completing 71% of his passes for 3,337 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He’s a dual threat as well, rushing for 506 yards and four touchdowns last year. You’ll find Corral listed in 2021 Heisman odds and is poised for an even bigger year now that he’s had more time with Coach Kiffin.

Defensive Player To Watch – Senior DE Sam Williams

The defense needs help and that starts up front for Ole Miss. Sam Williams returns after a season with 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, which lead the team. He has to be a disruptive centerpiece for this defense that allowed opposing QB’s way too much comfort in the pocket.