Is the Ole Miss offense the real deal?
We’ll find out Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium when the Rebels tussle with the second-ranked Crimson Tide, the SEC’s first marquee matchup of the season pitting two teams placed inside the Top 15 nationally.
Chad Kelly owns Heisman odds that will increase dramatically with a star performance against Alabama.
Here are 10 questions we want answered during the third weekend of college football:
10 burning questions for Week 3
10. Northwestern State at Mississippi State (4 p.m. EST, SEC Network): By definition, the Bulldogs aren’t a passing team but have not been able to run the football efficiently through two games. Mississippi State’s averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Who steps up to become the featured back?
9. UConn at No. 22 Missouri (Noon, ESPN): The Tigers’ inconsistency on offense (four turnovers thus far) has been somewhat masked by their solid play defensively, led by veteran linebacker Kentrell Brothers. Will he continue his assault on college football with another 16-tackle outing against a run-based offense?
8. Austin Peay at Vanderbilt (4 p.m., SEC Network+): Will QB1 Johnny McCrary avoid critical red zone turnovers in the Commodores’ third straight home game to start the season? At some point, Derek Mason has to stop blaming the offense’s ineptitude on inexperience. It’s McCrary’s time to produce.
7. Nevada at No. 17 Texas A&M (Noon, SEC Network): How long will starters play against the Wolfpack? Kevin Sumlin didn’t appreciate the question Tuesday, but it’s a legitimate one facing another out-manned opponent at home.
6. Western Carolina at Tennessee (7 p.m., ESPNU): Licking their wounds from last week’s loss to Oklahoma and still hurting from the news surrounding Curt Maggitt’s injury, will the Vols suffer even the slightest hangover effect against an out-manned FCS club?
5. Texas Tech at Arkansas (7 p.m., ESPN2): Can the Razorbacks get back to what they do best or will Dan Enos continue to center the offense around Brandon Allen? This is not an indictment on the senior quarterback, but Arkansas isn’t built to be a passing team (especially with Keon Hatcher sidelined for the next month).
4. South Carolina at No. 7 Georgia (6 p.m., ESPN): If the Gamecocks are going to cover – much less, upset — the Bulldogs in Athens, they’ll have to stop the run. South Carolina’s giving up an SEC-high 5.8 yards per carry this season which isn’t a good sign battling Georgia and Nick Chubb. With former walk-on Perry Orth making his first career starter under center for Steve Spurrier, the Gamecocks can’t afford to fall behind early. How many yards will the Bulldogs gain on the ground?
3. Florida at Kentucky (7:30 p.m., SEC Network): Will Florida’s defense be able to slow down Kentucky’s Air Raid? Getting Vernon Hargreaves back is essential following last week’s struggles to East Carolina, a team that utilizes a similar passing attack but doesn’t possess the Wildcats’ athletes.
2. No. 18 Auburn at No. 13 LSU (3:30 p.m., CBS): You know it’s a fun-to-watch weekend in the SEC when Auburn at LSU isn’t the featured game. But that’s on War Eagle. With time to turn it around, Auburn hasn’t lived up to its preseason No. 6 ranking. Will Jeremy Johnson’s lack of confidence continue to damage this offense?
1. No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 2 Alabama (9:15 p.m., ESPN): If Kelly has time in the pocket and finds a rhythm, the Rebels will be able to move the football against the Crimson Tide. With running between the tackles pretty much out of the question, how will Hugh Freeze’s offensive line handle the nation’s best front seven in pass protection?
