On Thursday Night, the Ole Miss Rebels and Miami Hurricanes will each look to continue their storybook seasons as they clash for a place in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Even with Lane Kiffin's departure, Ole Miss' high powered offense has been firing on all cylinders in part because of Charlie Weis Jr remaining with the team while the players have executred at a high level.
Styles make matchups, and Miami winning with its dominant defense makes this matchup beyond exciting to watch. The Hurricanes have held Texas A&M and Ohio State's high-powered offenses to a combined 17 points. Miami's defense hasn't shown many cracks, but Ohio State may have found one in the 2nd half.
Ole Miss needs to use its tempo to wear down the Hurricanes
One of the biggest staples of Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis' offenses has been the way the Rebels use tempo. The Rebels rank 5th in the Power 4 in offensive snaps per game with 74.4 on the season. If Ole Miss is going to slow down Miami's defense especially that vaunted pass rush, the Rebels are going to need to play at a high tempo.
Ohio State may have shown a crack in Miami's defense in the 2nd half of their matchup once Ryan Day turned up the tempo. The Buckeyes were able to go on back-to-back touchdown drives to start the second half, as the Canes' defense was clearly worn down as the offense kept the defensive line from rotating.
Ole Miss has the perfect pieces to wear a defense down, between the elite ability Trinidad Chambliss has to make plays with his legs, and Kewan Lacy's ability to punish defenders. In the 4th quarter, when Georgia started to get worn down, they couldn't find a way to get Trinidad Chambliss wrapped up, and he made them pay.
Whether Ole Miss turns this game into a shootout or they need to grind out drives, one thing is clear, and that's the fact that the Rebels need to play fast. Rueben Bain Jr and Akheem Mesidor can wreck a game if fresh, and if Ole Miss can wear them down, it'll change the entire game.