Keys to Victory & Five Burning Questions: Arkansas vs. Ole Miss

The gauntlet continues for No. 13 Arkansas as it hits the road for the third consecutive Saturday to face a ranked opponent this weekend against No. 17 Ole Miss in Oxford (Miss.) in a game that has significant implications for the race for second-place in the SEC West. Kickoff from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is set for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Arkansas (4-1, 1-1 SEC) will need a short-term memory as it looks the bounce back against the Rebels. After a blistering-hot start to the season that included big wins over Texas and Texas A&M, the Razorbacks took their first loss last weekend at No. 2 Georgia in humbling fashion, 37-0.

Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1 SEC) is in a similar boat. Lane Kiffin's squad soared up the rankings with three convincing wins to begin the season before getting a reality check of its own last weekend in Tuscaloosa, where No. 1 Alabama took care of the Rebels, 42-21, in a game that was more lopsided than the score suggested.

"We're really excited to go to Ole Miss," said Arkansas coach Sam Pittman. "They have one of the greatest offensive minds in football down there with Lane Kiffin and have a great quarterback in Matt Corral. And really, really find running backs and a good O-line. Defensively, they're playing lights out, flying around to the football. We're looking forward to an early game down there."

Here are five burning questions and keys to victory for the Razorbacks on the road this weekend against Ole Miss.

FIVE BURNING QUESTIONS

1.) WHO BOUNCES BACK BEST FROM HUMBLING LOSS?

Losing on the road to a program like Georgia is nothing to hang the head about, but it was the way it went down that was a bit unnerving. After the game, Pittman himself said the pride and the ego of the Razorbacks got crushed, but one game does not define a team or season. Arkansas has proven resilient in face of adversity in the past, and with a veteran, blue-collar group of leaders, there's reason to believe they'll learn from it, shake it off and head to Oxford with that chip right back on their shoulder.

In fairness, the same question can be asked of the Rebels. Ole Miss was soaring after three impressive wins to start the season before coming crashing back down to earth at the hands of Alabama. Kiffin's crew has the benefit of playing this one at home, but they'll be entering the weekend in need of a rebound, as well. Both teams will be eager to feel some positive vibes. Who will get off to a quick start?


2.) CAN ARKANSAS "CORRAL" CORRAL ONCE AGAIN?

Does Matt Corral still see Hudson Clark in his nightmares? Kidding aside, last season's six interceptions against Arkansas was clearly the low point of Corral's career, but it also served as a turning point for the talented Ole Miss quarterback, who had a strong finish to the season. Now, he's a year more comfortable in the system, more mature and is on the shortlist of early Heisman Trophy candidates. He currently has 10 touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

It's almost a certainty Corral has had this game circled on his calendar since the schedule was released. Does he get his redemption against the Hogs, or does Barry Odom's crew have more tricks up their sleeve to get the best of him?


3.) RAZORBACK RUSHING ATTACK READY FOR REBOUND?

Arkansas' rushing attack was completely shut down by Georgia last weekend, but quite frankly, that will likely be the case for everyone else the Bulldogs face the remainder of the season. The offensive line was manhandled and riddled with mistakes, but they'll need to flush that performance and get the Razorbacks back to their bread and butter this weekend. This is just a hunch, but chances are KJ Jefferson and his four-headed monster of running backs will be headed to Oxford a little ticked off and ready to run.

Ole Miss is improved defensively, but they still find themselves ranked No. 12 in the SEC in rushing defense, allowing 154.50 yards per game on the ground. Alabama picked up 210 rushing yards last weekend in what was really the first true test for the Rebels' defense. They allowed 155 to Louisville, 114 to Austin Peay and 139 to Tulane in the games prior.


4.) ANY SHAKEUPS ON O-LINE FOR ARKANSAS?

While Arkansas has to flush the Georgia game and turn its attention to Ole Miss, there is certainly plenty to learn from the beatdown given by the Bulldogs. One of the most interesting takeaways from Pittman's Monday press conference was his desire to beef things up on the interior by getting guys like Jalen St. John and Ty'Kieast Crawford into the mix at guard.

The pair have been spotted getting some reps in practice, and Pittman doubled down Wednesday by saying "that's the move" when it comes to what will benefit the team in the long run. St. John appears to be ahead of Crawford when it comes to understanding the assignments at the position. Will either start on Saturday? It seems unlikely, but mixing them in would be quite a signal as to what the future may hold.

Pittman is no stranger to this type of switch. Many will recall him moving a young Dan Skipper and Denver Kirkland from tackle to guard during his first stint at Arkansas back in 2013.


5.) ARKANSAS DEFENSE READY TO SLOW THE LANE TRAIN?

The thing that makes the Ole Miss offense so difficult to defend is the tempo with which they play. The Rebels put a ton of pressure on opposing defenses with their pace. Arkansas did an excellent job last season of keeping a play-by-play mindset, getting lined up quickly and not finding themselves scrambling and getting burned for big plays. Most of those players return this season, and the Hogs have better depth to keep up for a full 60 minutes.

Ole Miss will definitely be the most high-powered offense Arkansas has faced this season. The Rebels rank fifth in the nation in scoring (44.8 ppg) and third in total offense (551.5 ypg). There's a common misconception that Ole Miss slings the ball around through the air under Kiffin. They're actually quite balanced.

While the Rebs do throw for over 300 yards per game, they are top 10 nationally in rushing (243.5 ypg) and run the ball just over 57 percent of the time with Corral and running backs Henry Parrish, Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner all being threats.

KEYS TO VICTORY

1.) PENALTIES

Arkansas has been abysmal in the penalty department all season. They rank No. 124 out of 130 FBS teams with 89.4 penalty yards per game and an average of 9.8 flags. Last week, the Razorbacks were hit with 13 penalties for 100 yards. The infractions range from false starts to pass interference and everything in between. The Hogs absolutely have to clean things up in the discipline department.

Ole Miss, on the other hand ... Wait a second ... Am I reading this right? The Rebels are actually worse off than Arkansas when it comes to penalties, ranking No. 129 out of 130 with an average of 10.5 flags and 93.8 yards per game. Looks like the officials might need to carry some extras in their pocket on Saturday.


2.) TURNOVERS

Both Arkansas and Ole Miss are in the middle of the pack when it comes to creating takeaways so far this season. The Razorbacks and Rebels have six each. Arkansas has four interceptions and two fumble recoveries, while Ole Miss has four fumble recoveries and a pair of picks.

The teams have been among the most disciplined in the league when it comes to ball security. Arkansas has only two turnovers this season and have had zero in the last three games. Ole Miss has lost three fumbles but remains interception free on the year.

Of course, turnovers were the story of the game the last time these two teams met, when Arkansas intercepted Corral six times. It's probably not reasonable to expect a similar outcome this go around, but what would it do to his psyche if the Razorbacks came up with an early pick?


3.) SPECIAL TEAMS

This is essentially a copy and paste from previous weeks. Kickoffs and field goals for Arkansas are good. The punting could be better distance wise, but the Hogs are doing a nice job of eliminating the opponent's return game. Everything else is pretty simple. Successfully field kicks. Do not have a punt blocked. Arkansas has made some tweaks in practice this week. Time will tell if they pay off.

Ole Miss kicker Caden Costa doesn't get used as much as he would probably like to, but he is 4-of-5 on field goals this year. The same could be said for the punt team, who leads the SEC with 49.11 yards per attempt but have only punted nine times all season. Ole Miss does not have a punt or kick return of more than 20 yards this season.


4.) INJURIES

Arkansas appeared to make it out of the Georgia game without any major injuries. KJ Jefferson and Treylon Burks entered the game banged up but played and have been practicing throughout the week. Some, like Hudson Henry and Simeon Blair and Marco Avant, who is making his return from preseason surgery, have all been in green non-contact jerseys at different points this week but have been participating in practice nonetheless. Dalton Wagner was full-go Tuesday but has a club on his left hand.

Ole Miss was dealt a tough blow prior to last week's game when standout wide receiver Jonathan Mingo suffered a broken foot in practice, leaving him out indefinitely. Starting left guard Caleb Warren is expected to miss the game with an ankle injury. The Rebels are also likely to be without safety Jake Springer, who has been out since the season opener with an upper-body injury.


5.) FOURTH DOWN

In some cases, winning third down is used for our fifth key to victory in these stories. However, when it comes to a Lane Kiffin coached team, fourth down becomes more important than ever.

Looking back to last season, Ole Miss converted 5-of-9 fourth-down opportunities against Arkansas, but the ones they failed on certainly hurt. Arkansas made goal line stands in the first and third quarters on fourth down, came up with a second quarter stop when the Rebels went for it rather than attempting a 47-yard field goal and Hudson Clark picked off Corral in fourth quarter desperation time.

So far this season, Ole Miss leads the nation in fourth down attempts (19) and conversions (14). However, they were 2-of-5 last weekend at Alabama. The Rebels converted twice on their opening drive before getting stuffed on fourth-and-goal from the six. Arkansas, on the other hand, has come up with four stops on nine fourth-down attempts by its opponents.


SOURCE: Wilkerson, Curtis. "Keys to Victory & Five Burning Questions: Arkansas vs. Ole Miss." HawgSports.com, 7 October 2021, https://247sports.com/college/arkansas/LongFormArticle/Keys-to-Victory-Arkansas-Ole-Miss-Burning-Questions-172387723/