One of college football’s top offensive minds meets one of its top defensive strategists when No. 8 Ole Miss takes on 13th-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday in Norman, Okla.
Head coach Lane Kiffin has his Rebels (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) ranked No. 8 in total offense in the country.
“They’ve got some guys who they like to just throw the ball up top to,” Sooners defensive back Reggie Powers III said. “So we’ve got to be detailed in our technique and to make sure our eyes are in the right spot because they do a lot of things and motions and stuff like that to try and get us to look somewhere else, so we’ve just got to make sure we’re locked in on our keys and then we’ll be good.”
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has thrown for 1,549 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception.
The Rebels have allowed just seven sacks this season, tied for 15th nationally in the category.
“They’ve done a great job of keeping the quarterback upright and keeping him clean,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said.
The defense for Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1), with Venables calling the plays, has been dominant this season, coming into the game leading the nation in total defense (213 yards allowed per game) and sacks per game (4.0).
“It’s phenomenal prep — a film study of signals,” Kiffin said of Venables’ defense. “They do a great job of that. If you study people really well, you have enough confidence as a coach to go after those. … They’ve got a really good bead on the plays that are coming when they’re called and they do a great job of going and taking those away.”
Kiffin praised the Sooners’ attacking mindset defensively, even when Oklahoma is ahead.
“He just never lets up,” Kiffin said of Venables. “That’s not necessarily always how defensive coaches call it (but) maybe a little more some offensive coaches do that.
“I think he’s taking that mindset and really knocks people out.”
The Sooners also lead the country with 10.7 tackles for loss per game.
Ole Miss is averaging more than 300 yards through the air per game, while Oklahoma hasn’t allowed more than 220 in a game this season.
The Rebels are also dealing with rumors connecting Kiffin to the now-open job at Florida after Billy Napier was fired over the weekend.
“That’s nothing that I can control personally, so it’s like, ‘I’m where my feet is,’” offensive tackle Jayden Williams said. “You just let all them talk about that. At the end of the day, he’s still in the building. He’s still the coach.”
Both teams come into the game with one loss.
Oklahoma fell to Texas, 23-6, on Oct. 11 before bouncing back with a 26-7 win at South Carolina last week.
Ole Miss is coming off a 43-35 loss at Georgia last week.
For the Sooners, Saturday’s game is the first of five straight against teams currently ranked in the top 25.
The game will be the Rebels’ first ever at Oklahoma. Mississippi has won the two previous meetings between the programs, including last season’s 26-14 win in Oxford.