Nov. 17—No. 13 Ole Miss (8-2, 5-2 SEC) hosts Louisiana-Monroe (2-8, 0-7 Sun Belt) Saturday at 11 a.m. for the Rebels’ final home game of the 2023 season. Ole Miss is 4-0 all-time against the Warhawks, and the teams last played in 2018
Here are five keys for Ole Miss to beat ULM.
Don’t play with your food
On paper, this game should be over by halftime. ULM is outmanned at every position on the field. These late-season nonconference games can get weird, though, particularly with rivalry games lurking around the corner. In Ole Miss’ case, it’s the Egg Bowl less than a week later. The Rebels need to play with the kind of fire they would in any other SEC game, build a huge lead and take the starters out. It should be a good chance to see some young players, after all.
Don’t let the emotions of Senior Day get to you
Yes, it’s ULM. Ole Miss is favored by more than 30 points. But Senior Days can be emotional, and while it likely isn’t going to matter in a game like this, it could cause a slow start. Senior Day is supposed to be a happy time and is worthy of the celebration. Players should take it all in. But the sooner players can move past the pregame festivities, the better the odds of the blowout.
Stay healthy
This builds off the first point, but with the Egg Bowl and a potential New Year’s Six game in the near future, the last thing Ole Miss can afford to do is let the Warhawks hang around. Because if the Rebels’ best players are in the game longer than they need to be, it’s just another chance for a freak injury. Ole Miss has already had to reshuffle its offensive line because of injury, and junior quarterback Jaxson Dart left the Georgia game, though head coach Lane Kiffin says he was cleared to reenter.
Regain confidence
There’s no shame in losing to the two-time defending national champions, but after a strong start, it’s…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/five-keys-ole-miss-win-133500406.html
Author : Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
Publish date : 2023-11-17 13:35:00
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