Ole Miss’ matchup against Memphis on Saturday is a redemption game, regardless of whether head coach Hugh Freeze admits it or not.

The Tigers upset the Rebels, 37-24, in 2015, handing Ole Miss its second loss of the season and spoiling its national championship aspirations. So naturally, reporters asked Freeze whether there was extra motivation in this year’s matchup, which the coach unsurprisingly downplayed.

“I don’t think anytime you talk about revenge or any of those things they are very helpful, so I am not big on that,” Freeze said. “I am about preparing as good as we can prepare to play a very good Memphis team, and I know that the game means a lot to our fan base and their fan base, so some emotion comes with that, hopefully for our kids, too. We won’t get into talking about we’ve got to do this because of last year. I am not a big fan of that. Hopefully our kids will understand it is an important game and is one that should have our full attention for sure.”

Freeze may not want to focus on the redemption factor in this year’s matchup, but he can’t ignore the elephant in the room. As he mentioned, the Memphis rematch will be huge for the players and the fan base because of how big of a spoiler it turned out to be in 2015.

Ole Miss dropped from No. 13 to No. 24 in the AP Poll following the loss. The Rebels still finished second in the SEC West standings and No. 10 overall. However, it was difficult to take a two-loss SEC team seriously when one came against an AAC opponent.

But despite last year’s win, few are giving Memphis a realistic chance in Saturday’s game. Ole Miss is currently a 15-point favorite according to Bovada, which shouldn’t be a surprise given its homefield advantage.

But perhaps the Tigers stand a better chance than they’re being credited for. While there have been changes to both lineups, the storylines remain mostly the same. Ole Miss still has a prolific passing attack, but it lacks a strong run game. Memphis may have lost quarterback Paxton Lynch, head coach Justin Fuente and several key contributors, but it still excels in the same areas as it did in 2015.

Former Tennessee transfer Riley Ferguson has been phenomenal during his first season as the Tigers’ starting quarterback. Ferguson has thrown for 843 yards, 11 touchdowns (most among AAC quarterbacks) and 2 interceptions on 61-of-91 passing. The junior recorded a season-high six touchdowns and 359 yards against Bowling Green last week.

Memphis ranks first among AAC teams in scoring offense (51.7 points per game) and fourth in total offense (478.0). Meanwhile, the Tigers’ rushing attack has been limited to a combined 125 attempts through its first three games with junior Doroland Dorceus and freshman Patrick Taylor Jr. splitting the majority of the carries.

Memphis’ defense has also been outstanding leading up to its matchup with Ole Miss. The Tigers rank first among AAC teams in scoring defense (9.0 points allowed per game), second in total defense (287.0 yards per game), second in rushing defense (107.3) and fourth in passing defense (179.7).

Like Freeze, Memphis coach Mike Norvell didn’t focus on the extra motivation for either team entering Saturday’s game. Despite being a sizable underdog, the Tigers are ready for the challenge in Oxford.

“We know that this challenge and this opportunity is going to be unique to itself,” Norvell told The Commercial Appeal on Monday. “A lot of people talk about last year’s game. That was in the past. There’s going to be a whole lot of new faces on that field on both sides of the ball, and on both teams. So it’s about this week. It’s about this one step, this one opportunity.”

Saturday’s game will be crucial for Ole Miss beyond redemption or revenge from last season. Despite being from a smaller conference, Memphis is a very good football team, and non-Power 5 teams have proven to successfully challenge SEC teams in 2016. The Rebels can’t afford another loss, especially having started their season with a 2-2 record, albeit with both defeats coming against top-five opponents.

Ole Miss needs to avoid another second-half collapse that led to losses against Florida State and Alabama. Or a collapse similar to the one against Memphis last season, when the Tigers scored 31 unanswered points after going down 14-0 to the Rebels.

The Tigers will be a solid opponent and need to be taken seriously. Freeze is smart not to focus on the revenge aspect against the Tigers, but he isn’t going to convince anyone that the Memphis matchup is just another non-conference game.