PLAYERS TO WATCH
–WR Braylon Sanders started in Metcalf’s place against Auburn and was targeted six times. He finished with three catches for 18 yards with a long of 15 yards. It wasn’t that Sanders dropped passes. He was covered well, but he also didn’t make catches beyond what might be considered normal. Sanders and all Ole Miss receivers are going to have to do a better job of making difficult catches.
–TE Dawson Knox, it was thought, might blossom in the absence of Metcalf, but there’s still a seeming reluctance to throw to him or fellow tight end Octavious Cooley. Knox is the more athletic of the two tight ends, but rarely has either made more than a minimal pass-catching impact. The Arkansas game was an outlier. Knox had two catches for 11 yards against Auburn. Luke and offensive coordinator Phil Longo contend that tight ends could be targeted more in the red zone moving forward.
–RB Scottie Phillips was held in check by the Tigers, finishing with 59 yards on 17 carries. It was his second-lowest yardage total for Phillips this season.
–MLB Mohamed Sanogo has turned into a solid tackler on an unit that often struggles in that regard. Tackling was a major issue for the Rebels against Auburn, but Sanogo had 16 of them. The Rebels still lack wide-ranging speed at linebacker, but Sanogo ranks sixth in the SEC with 8.1 tackles per game.
SERIES HISTORY: Ole Miss leads South Carolina 8-7. The Gamecocks will be making their first trip to Oxford since 2008. Ole Miss hasn’t beaten South Carolina since 2004, a game in which former coach David Cutcliffe used three quarterbacks, and the Rebels upset the No. 25-ranked Gamecocks.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Coming through all this NCAA stuff we’re 5-3 with a chance to win a bunch more games. The four teams we’re playing all have the same record we do or worse. We’re right there. We have to find a way to get over the hump.” — Ole Miss coach Matt Luke