First Glance: Ole Miss Landsharks

What You Need To Know:

• Ole Miss is 5-4 on the season while 1-4 in SEC Play. Ole Miss has wins over Texas Tech, Arkansas (improbable comeback by Ole Miss), and common opponent, ULM.
• The winner will have 6 wins as both teams failed to secure a 6th win as they watched wins slip away on Saturday. Ole Miss cannot obtain bowl eligibility this season. [Edit: credit to juliotamu and Here’s a quarter for the correction]
• The Landsharks’ remaining schedule includes Vanderbilt, and at Mississippi State for the Egg Bowl.
• Ole Miss sits at 46th in overall S&P rankings (14 spots behind UAB). Offensively the Landsharks are sitting at an impressive 4th in the S&P; while a not so impressive 111th defensively in the S&P. Alabama is the only higher rated offense that A&M has faced this season.
• Texas A&M still sits at 24th overall; while the Offense moved up to 34th after the strong day running the ball through 3 quarters, while the Defense sits at 30th.
• Go check out Red Cup Rebellion for the latest on Ole Miss.

Betting Lines:

• The lines opened at -12.5 in favor of Texas A&M. The line is down to -12.
• A&M is 1-6 ATS in the previous 6 games against Ole Miss. In 2017, Ole Miss was favored, and A&M managed to hold Ole Miss scoreless in the second half to secure the upset.

Historical Notes:

• Texas A&M leads the all time series 7 to 3. Since joining the SEC, the teams are tied at 3-3.
• The State of Mississippi has not been kind to the Aggies since 2014 as A&M is only 2-7 against Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
• Ole Miss does not have a live mascot, but I am hopeful that they will obtain a live shark on campus.
• Famous Alumni include Chad Kelly, Eli Manning, Archie Manning, John Grisham, William Faulkner (only attended; didn’t graduate), Mose Allison, James Meredith, Shepard Smith, Kate Jackson, Michael Oher and the Tuohy family

Landsharks to Watch:

Jordan Ta’amu QB

This is Ta’amu’s first full season as the starter. Ta’amu took over the reins of the Ole Miss offense midway through last season after starter Shea Patterson went out with injury. Patterson is now starting at Michigan. Ta’amu has thrown for 3001 yards and 16 touchdowns with 5 interceptions this season. He is also dangerous with his legs, as he has added 362 yards on the ground with 5 touchdowns. Ta’amu is leading the SEC in passing yards this season, which is good enough for 4th in the NCAA.

A.J. Brown WR

Ole Miss has a plethora of excellent pass catchers, and has withstood some injuries by finding more receivers to do the job. Brown is the team leading receiver and has 920 yards and 5 touchdowns on 66 receptions this season. Brown is leading the SEC in receiving yards this season.

Scottie Phillips RB

Ole Miss is also running the ball very well with Phillips this season. He has 923 yards on the ground which is third in SEC behind Trayveon Williams (931) and Benny Snell Jr (1008). He has 14 total touchdowns (12 rushing) which is tied for 5th most in the NCAA this season.

Media Blitz:

• Venue: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
• Game Time: 11:00 am CT
• Channel: CBS

Newsreel:

• Trayveon Williams ran for his 10th 100-yard rushing game of his career with 107 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. He also contributed five catches and a score for 75 yards.

Weather:

• It looks to be a beautiful day on Saturday morning with a high of 59 and mostly sunny.