Ole Miss Football: 2018 Game-by-game predictions
One of two FCS games for the Rebels comes in Week 2. Southern Illinois won’t stand a chance against a bonafide SEC offense. The closest Ta’amu came to seeing an FCS defense last season came in the Rebels’ penultimate home contest against Louisiana.
Ta’amu was pristine in that contest, throwing for 418 yards and three touchdowns while adding two rushing touchdowns on the ground. If he was able to manage that against a middle-tier Sun Belt squad imagine what he’ll be able to against Southern Illinois.
The Salukis finished 4-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference last season, losing their final four games. They were 2-4 on the road picking up wins over Indiana State and Southeast Missouri. An SEC West team in their own stadium is an entirely different proposition. Southern Illinois doesn’t even manage to keep this one close.