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Taking a position-by-position look at Arkansas at Ole Miss before Saturday’s game in Oxford, Miss.
Quarterbacks — Ole Miss: Two of the best quarterbacks in the conference will square off in Chad Kelly for the Rebels and Brandon Allen for the Razorbacks. Kelly is the most prolific passer in the SEC, while Allen’s is a bit more efficient. Kelly’s completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,856 yards while leading the SEC in TDs (20) and interceptions (12). Allen has completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,034 yards 15 TDs and five interceptions.
Running backs — Arkansas: The Razorbacks may have the best, but lowest publicized back in the league in Alex Collins, who is a notch below Leonard Fournette, Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb in most categories. Collins has 12 of his team’s 18 rushing TDs, and needs 40 yards to reach 1,000 on the season. Ole Miss RB Jaylen Walton, meanwhile, has just three TDs and 506 rushing yards.
Wide receivers — Ole Miss: Laquon Treadwell is pulling away as the most-productive wide receiver in the league. He has 61 catches — 14 more than anyone else — 870 receiving yards — 208 more than anyone else — and six TDs. Arkansas counters with Drew Morgan, who is No. 11 in the SEC in yards (498) but tied for first with Treadwell and two others with six scores.
Offensive line — Arkansas: Not only are the Razorbacks punishing in the ground game, they also rarely give up a sack. In fact, they’ve allowed just seven sacks in eight games. Ranked fourth in the SEC in rushing yards (1,568), Arkansas is third with 18 rushing TDs. The Rebels have paved the way for big plays in the running game. They’ve helped clear the path for three plays each of 50 and 60-plus yards, and they’re tied for second in the SEC in plays of at least 10 yards.
Defensive line — Ole Miss: It’s tough to find a more imposing presence than DT Robert Nkemdiche, and the best news for the Rebels is he’s back on the field. Nkemdiche suffered a concussion that caused him to miss about a game and a half. Despite that absence, Nkemdiche has 21 tackles, 5.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Despite his high-profile, Nkemdiche doesn’t even lead his team in sacks. That honor falls to Marquis Haynes, who is second in the SEC with 7.5.
Linebackers — Push: These two middle-of-the-pack defenses get solid linebacking play from the likes of Brooks Ellis and Dre Greenlaw. They’re each in the top 11 in the SEC in tackles as Ellis averages 8.2 a game, and Greenlaw 7.6.
Secondary: — Ole Miss: The Rebels have combined for seven interceptions and 24 passes broken up. Without any stars in the secondary, Arkansas ranks the worst in the league in passing defense.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
