SEC Round-Up: Pressure mounting for Ole Miss as SEC play intensifies

It may be a difficult fall for Ole Miss.

This time a week ago, Ole Miss was undefeated and ranked No. 7 in the nation. Then the Rebels fell to LSU, 45-20.

The Rebels are now 7-1 and ranked No. 15.

Should they fall to Texas A&M on Saturday, they will likely fall out of the top 20. A week later, they could fall out of the rankings altogether.

A fast start can lead to a faster decline when playing a back-loaded schedule.

As mentioned, Ole Miss got off to a 7-0 start. However, that early success is arguably due to the weakness of opponents.

The Rebels have beaten two FBS teams with winning records. They survived Kentucky because the Wildcats fumbled in the red zone twice in the final minutes. They also opened with a win over Sun Belt Conference leader Troy.

Other FBS victories are over Georgia Tech (3-4), Tulsa (3-4), Vanderbilt (3-5) and Auburn (3-4).

Now, the Rebels have gone from a cakewalk to walking on thin ice.

Alabama (7-1) looms on the schedule. So does a road trip to Arkansas (4-3) and a clash with arch-rival Mississippi State (5-3).

That puts more importance on the game against Texas A&M. A loss could send Ole Miss into a downward spiral from which it cannot escape.

A win would at least provide a boost of momentum.

A&M would appear to be the most vulnerable remaining opponent. The Aggies have suffered three consecutive losses, struggled to score and struggled to stop the run.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss leads the SEC in rushing and is among the league’s highest-scoring teams, with an average of 38.3 points per game.

It would seem A&M might not be able to keep up offensively. 

However, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin isn’t taking anything for granted, especially with the game being played at Kyle Field.

“When you go play really good players in a really hard environment, your weaknesses get magnified,” Kiffin said.

There could be a debate about just how good the Aggies are. But they are better than Vanderbilt, which led Ole Miss at halftime. The Aggies project to be better than Auburn, which trailed by just a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. The Aggies surely are better than Tulsa, which also trailed by just one touchdown in the final quarter.

Still, Kiffin doesn’t appear too worried. If he was, he probably wouldn’t goad Texas A&M Jimbo Fisher.

When asked about facing A&M defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, who held that position last season at Ole Miss, Kiffin responded:

“We tried to keep him because he did a really good job. We got outbid. Kind of a common theme with that program (A&M).”

Taking jabs is easy to do when coaching a team with seven wins in late October.

The Rebels are having a big year.

But they should also be careful and remember an idiom about the possibility of struggles after a series of successes.

You know the one: Something about the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Around the SEC

This week’s games: No. 15 Ole Miss at Texas A&M; Arkansas at Auburn; Florida vs. No. 1 Georgia at Jacksonville; Missouri at No. 25 South Carolina; No. 19 Kentucky at No. 3 Tennessee

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks are now ranked No. 25 in the country, the first time they’ve been ranked in the AP Poll since Week 1 of 2018.

Who’s hot: The South Carolina Gamecocks have posted four consecutive victories. That’s their longest winning streak since posting six straight wins to end the 2013 season.

Who’s not: A month ago, Vanderbilt’s Ray Davis was among the SEC’s most productive running backs. He accumulated 385 rushing yards in the first four games. But since SEC play began, his stats have plummeted. In four league games, he has rushed for just 179 yards and one touchdown. And that’s with a 105-yard performance in a loss to Ole Miss. In the other three SEC games against Alabama, Georgia and Missouri, Davis has gained 74 yards for 38 carries for a 1.9-yard average per attempt.

Keep an eye on: Arkansas running back Raheim Sanders leads the SEC with 870 rushing yards. Don’t be surprised if he breaks the 1,000-yard barrier against Auburn. In the last two games, the Tigers' defense has allowed 1,078 yards, of which 740 have come on the ground. Auburn is now ranked last in the SEC against the run.

The pressure is on: Speaking of struggling run defenses, Texas A&M is 12th in the SEC in run defense. That’s especially disturbing with Ole Miss coming into Kyle Field. The Rebels average 251 rushing yards to rank first in the SEC and third in the nation. The Aggies must show significant improvement if they’re to defeat Ole Miss and put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Best matchup: Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker looks like the front-runner in the Heisman Trophy race. He’s leading the SEC in total offense with 2,408 yards. He has accumulated at least 304 yards of offense in five of the Volunteers’ last six games. However, he figures to get a challenge from the Kentucky defense, which has allowed the second-fewest points in the SEC. The Wildcats are also second in total defense and third in passing defense. The most points scored against Kentucky this season is 24 by South Carolina. Seven of those came after South Carolina recovered a Wildcats fumble at the 2-yard line.