Ole Miss football: Can Rebels pull off impressive road win over Memphis?

Ole Miss football heads to Memphis to face the Tigers in a tough intersectional game against a Group of Five opponent. Can the Rebels pull off the upset?

The last time Ole Miss came to Memphis to face the Tigers at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium four years ago, the Rebels left the home of the blues with some blues of their own after a 37-24 defeat. They avenged the loss in Oxford a year later, the last meeting between these two teams, but the sting of losing in a key recruiting area still stings four years later.

After what was ultimately a down season at only eight wins, Memphis is hoping to rebound and steal away a key statement win to fuel a run at the American Athletic Conference title. The Tigers have lost a lot of talent in the backfield, but Brady White returns at quarterback and Patrick Taylor still provides a lot of punch in the backfield.

With so much talent departed from last year’s squad, can Ole Miss compete with a tough Group of Five opponent on the road? Here is how to catch the showdown at noontime on Saturday afternoon to kick off a full day of football action.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Memphis, Tenn.
Venue: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Ole Miss looks to be starting redshirt freshman Matt Corral on Saturday for his first start in a hostile road environment. The youngster needs to show poise guiding the Rebels offense, and he needs support from senior Scottie Phillips and the rest of the running game. The defense needs to use its experienced defense to stymie White when he throws the ball and stuff Taylor and crew when they choose to run.

Memphis needs Patrick Taylor to step up and become the workhorse that Darrell Henderson was for the Tigers last season. White will need to have a mistake-free game against a tough Rebels defense, and when Ole Miss has the ball they need to harass Corral and force the neophyte college quarterback to make costly mistakes.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Point Spread: Memphis -4.5
Over/Under: 65

Prediction

It sounds weird to say, but Memphis is in better shape in terms of its depth than their SEC counterpart. That is going to pay dividends as the Tigers defense forces a series of Ole Miss mistakes when the Rebels have the ball, and the combination of White and Taylor will do enough on offense to cover.

Look for the Tigers to have a big game that positions them as the team to beat in the AAC West once again this year, as they pull away for a big win that more than covers the spread.

Final Score: Memphis 48, Ole Miss 38