Ole Miss opens its 2021 season in prime time with a Labor Day night bout against Louisville at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The Rebels aim to build off of a 2020 season in which they overachieved in the first year of the Lane Kiffin era. Here are 6 bold predictions for the Week 1 matchup with the Cardinals.

6. Matt Corral throws for 400-plus yards

After a breakout 2020, Corral is hardly flying under the radar. The junior is on the periphery of most Heisman conversations and prognostications. His first test comes against a Louisville secondary that lost 10 members from last year’s team, plus its safeties coach. The Cardinals will rely heavily on two transfer safeties in Georgia Southern transfer Kenderick Duncan and Alcorn State transfer Qwynnterrio Cole.

Yes, the Rebels have question marks at receiver as they attempt to replace the production Elijah Moore provided last year. But an inexperienced secondary with a lot of newcomers could prove to be an optimal scenario for these unproven receivers, and Corral is certainly capable of carving it up.

5. The defense forces multiple turnovers

This defense is fully aware of just how bad it was last season. It has heard about it all offseason and has been adamant that this year will be different. Ole Miss will have its hands full with Louisville’s dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham. It’ll be a tall first test to contain him, and he certainly has the ability to single-handedly hand Ole Miss a defeat. But Cunningham is also turnover-prone. He threw 12 interceptions and lost 3 fumbles last season.  The easiest way for Ole Miss to contain this Louisville offense is coaxing it into coughing up the football. The Rebels’ pass rush should be at least marginally improved, and the secondary has newfound depth. Ole Miss gets 2 turnovers and wins the game because of it.

4. John Rhys Plumlee sees more than 5 snaps at quarterback

Plumlee made the transition to receiver this offseason. But in post-practice media availability last week, he said he met with the quarterback room twice a day during parts of camp. Kiffin remained adamant that Plumlee will only practice at receiver, saying it would be unfair to ask him to go back and forth. But clearly, they have something up their sleeve here. It would be hard to believe Ole Miss doesn’t have some sort of package to utilize Plumlee’s speed at quarterback. I predict he sees at least 5 snaps here on Monday night.

3. Ole Miss goes perfect on field goals

This may not sound overly bold, but with the kicking issues the program has had the last 2 years, it certainly is. Luke Logan’s career mercifully came to an end, and true freshman Caden Costa won the job during camp and looked quite solid in doing so. He makes every field goal he attempts and offers a sign of stability in the kicking battery.

2. Henry Parrish Jr. leads the team in rushing

Jerrion Ealy is unquestionably Ole Miss’ No. 1 running back. But the coaching staff has made it clear throughout fall camp that it plans to move Ealy around, working him in the slot and getting him involved in the passing game. The Rebels are afforded this luxury because of the depth on the roster behind Ealy. Parrish emerged as a regular contributor in the final 4 games last season and has had a great spring and fall. Ealy’s production comes in a variety of ways, but Parrish leads the team in rushing by the end of the night.

1. Sam Williams has multiple sacks

Williams is the most athletic player on the defense and has shown flashes of being a legitimate NFL pass rusher. His issue is consistency, and the coaching staff has implored him to work on being more dependable on a down-by-down basis. This is Williams’ third year of college football. He was late to start playing football in high school. He puts it all together this season and improves his draft stock, starting with a multisack night on Monday night.