Fresh and rested coming off their bye week, the Ole Miss Rebels (5-3, 1-3) regroup this Saturday as they host the South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3, 3-3) in Oxford, in a game that’s very much considered a toss-up at this point.

Ole Miss has pretty much been as advertised this year (explosive offense that blows out inferior competition and craters against elite opponents, and a defense that’s historically awful), and is on pace for 6 or 7 wins. Truth be told, they’re meeting outside expectations.

The Gamecocks, on the other hand, have been disappointing, at least in my opinion. I naively thought they had a legitimate chance to win the SEC East this year with an improved defense and a new offensive scheme that appeared to be a good fit for the personnel on hand. Granted, the three teams they lost to (Georgia, Kentucky and Texas A&M) are solid teams that have spent considerable time in the Top 25 this year, but they’ve undoubtedly failed to meet expectations this year.

For the Rebels, this game represents a chance to kick off the final leg of their season on a high note and take a bit of pressure off of Matt Luke, who doesn’t exactly hold much capital among the Ole Miss faithful presently. It’s not necessarily a “must-win” game, but it would at least ensure a .500 season for the Rebels, which would be a moral victory considering the unbelievable circumstances the program has endured over the past 2.5 years.

So, what are the keys to a Rebel victory this weekend? So glad you asked!

Defense must get run fits

I know “failing to get run fits” is an overused phrase that’s tossed out there as an explanation for nearly every bad defense, but that doesn’t diminish the truth it holds this week for the Rebels.

South Carolina runs a zone-heavy run offense, and to combat that, a defense has to be very strict in controlling their gaps. Getting a “run fit” is essentially fitting each player to a gap or space along the line. Failing to do so is what leads to chunk yardage gains. It requires discipline and making proper pre-snap reads, two areas in which the Rebels have struggled.

Of course the defensive line needs to do their job, but the Rebels really need their linebackers to have a big day to limit gains on first and second downs and force the Gamecocks into disadvantageous third-down scenarios.

Defensive line must use hands

The defensive line really struggled earlier in the season to consistently use their hands but have steadily shown improvement throughout the season. Not only do they need to use their hands to get off blocks to penetrate the backfield and pressure QB Jake Bentley, but they’ll need to use them to stay on their feet combatting cut blocks, a blocking technique the Gamecocks favor in their zone scheme.

It’s simple: If they don’t use their hands against cut blocks they’ll be on the ground and relegated a non-factor in the play. If they use their hands, they stay off the ground and are in perfect position to make a big play at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Protect, protect, protect

If there is one area of the Ole Miss offense that has been reliably consistent throughout the season, it’s been the offensive line in pass protection. From left to right, this unit has done a fantastic job of keeping QB Jordan Ta’amu upright and healthy, giving him time to go through his progressions to find the open man.

The Gamecocks’ defense has struggled to consistently generate pressure with their line alone, and have been forced to blitz linebackers and defensive backs often. They’ve done a decent job of mixing up the looks and masking various blitz packages, but both the Rebels offensive line and Ta’amu will need to do a good job with their pre-snap reads to identify and adjust protection calls to keep the offense on the field.

Feed Scottie

Apparently, my calls all season long to feed RB Scottie Phillips the ball more have continued to go unheard, but maybe this week it’ll change, especially considering the run defense they’ll be facing. Despite Phillips being third in the SEC in rushing yards (782), he’s No. 45 nationally in attempts (125), averaging 6.3 yards per carry (No. 10 nationally among those with at least 100 carries).

The Rebels will have a good opportunity to pile up the rushing yards this week against a Gamecocks defense that is 12th in the SEC in rushing defense, allowing 178.6 yards per game, and are 11th in yards allowed per carry with 4.4. The Rebels need to let Phillips get into a rhythm and exploit an obvious weakness.

Don’t make the game any easier for South Carolina

Meaning limit the penalties and don’t turn the ball over. Pretty self-explanatory, but penalties in particular have plagued the Rebels all season long (largely because they’re a very undisciplined team). They can’t beat themselves in this game. If the defense can come up with a couple of turnovers, that would go a long way too. Bentley has been prone to turn the ball over this year and has thrown at least one pick in each start since the season opener against Coastal Carolina.