The SEC is offering up an early-season appetizer when the No. 21-ranked Ole Miss Rebels head to Kentucky to face the Wildcats on Saturday.
Ole Miss gave up a touchdown in the second quarter, but the Rebels were never seriously challenged by the visiting Georgia State Panthers. The SEC school amassed nearly 700 offensive yards in their season opener, winning 63-7 over their overmatched opponent.
Kentucky was in a dog fight for the team’s season-opening win over Toledo. The Wildcats took a 24-9 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Rockets scored a touchdown and closed the gap with less than two minutes left in the contest.
Can Kentucky pull off another upset against the Rebels this season, or will Ole Miss exact revenge for last year’s stunning loss? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for Saturday’s SEC contest.
Outside of last year’s season-opener against Furman, Ole Miss fans had little knowledge of what sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons is capable of. He answered those questions – emphatically, I might add – last weekend, completing 20 of his 31 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia State.
What’s concerning for the first-time starter was his two turnovers. He threw two interceptions, meaning he’s susceptible to making mistakes. In his first SEC matchup, I expect the Rebels’ offensive game plan to feature a heavy dose of the rushing attack. That will keep him from covering this player prop bet on Saturday.
Former Big Ten running back Dante Dowdell returns to his Southeast roots by transferring to Kentucky for the 2024 season. Now, he’s a featured back for the Wildcats. That translated into a 14-carry, 129-yard rushing performance last week against Toledo’s stout defense.
The Rebels are going to load the box against Kentucky, forcing quarterback Zach Calzada to beat them with his arm. That’s going to limit Dowdell’s opportunities and effectiveness, making him a poor bet to cover this player prop.
Simmons’ top target last week was senior wide receiver Harrison Wallace III. The 6-foot-1 athlete finished with 130 receiving yards on five receptions and one touchdown. He finished with an astonishing 26 yards per catch average.
Wallace’s longest reception was 47 yards. Taking that out of the equation, he still had an over 20.8 yards per reception average. Assuming he continues to find space downfield, that means Simmons only needs to connect with his talented receiver twice to be near Wallace’s player prop total. Bettors should take him to cover his receiving prop on Saturday.
Let’s be clear: Toledo isn’t a pushover. The Rockets upset Mississippi State last year, and they came within a few plays of being even with Kentucky to start the season.
Despite taking that into consideration, the gap between the Wildcats and Rebels looks more like the Grand Canyon than anything else. Ole Miss should run away with this game in a blowout fashion, covering their 10.5-point spread with ease.