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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 11-04-2017, 12:18 PM:

1. Limit Jordan Ta’amu

When Ole Miss lost starting quarterback Shea Patterson, the Southeastern Conference’s leading passer, to a season-ending injury, many may have expected Ole Miss’ offense to take a step back. Instead, Kentucky faces an equally, if not more difficult, challenge in quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.

“The narrative of, ‘Oh, you’re playing a backup quarterback,’ throw that out the window, because we’ve all seen backups come in and play better than the starter a lot of the time,” UK coach Mark Stoops said. “And I’m not saying any knock on Shea, because I think he’s one of the best players in the league. I just think what this guy can do, what Jordan can do with his arm and his legs and what they do offensively, I think there’s going to be zero drop-off.”

2. Score at least 30 points

Simply put, Ole Miss’ defense is awful.

The Rebels rank last in the SEC in scoring defense (37.5 points per game), rushing defense (260.5 yards per game) and total defense (467.5 yards per game). Meanwhile the Ole Miss offense leads the league in passing yards per game (338.1). Even without Patterson, Kentucky’s defense has its work cut out for it. The Wildcat offense needs to do its part.

Prediction: Kentucky 35, Ole Miss 28

UK running back Benny Snell and the Kentucky offensive line finally appeared to find a groove against Tennessee last week. The Volunteers’ defense has struggled all season so the Kentucky run game still has something to prove, but the good news is Ole Miss’ defense is even worse. Snell and backup running back Sihiem King should have another big game. Riding the running backs could limit Johnson’s risk as well. Expect both teams to put up points, but Kentucky’s run game could be key in keeping the defense off the field as much as possible.

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