College Football game of the week: No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 13 Oklahoma

There ain’t no love in Oklahoma for the Ole Miss Rebels. That will be especially true this Saturday as Ole Miss will travel to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. This is a huge game with large implications for the seasons of both teams and a true SEC showdown.

For Oklahoma, this is its chance to re-enter the top ten. Following a blowout loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry in week seven, the Sooners fell to No.14 in the country, but rose to No.13 this week on the heels of a 26-7 win over South Carolina.

A win here could propel the Sooners back into the top ten and keep their SEC Championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive.

The redemption factor doesn’t stop with the Sooners. The Ole Miss Rebels are on the heels of a 43-35 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Despite this gut-wrenching loss, Ole Miss racked up key wins to stake its claim to remain in the top ten.

An upset over the then No. 4 LSU Tigers has been their most significant victory to date. If they can pull it off on Saturday, the Rebels can boast of another ranked conference win.

If the Sooners want to get back in contention, they need to step it up on offense. Before the start of this season, quarterback John Mateer was projected to be a Heisman finalist. However, the Washington State transfer has been anything but Heisman material.

After suffering a broken bone in his throwing hand in a shootout win over Auburn, Mateer would go on to put up no touchdowns to three interceptions in a loss to rival Texas. On the season, Mateer has 1,567 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions. Although running back Tory Blaylock is only a freshman, he ranks outside of the top 100 in the nation in rushing yards despite leading his team.

If Oklahoma wins, it will be attributed to a strong performance through the air from John Mateer and a dominant run game featuring Blaylock and former Cal standout Jaydn Ott.

In light of a struggling offense, the Sooners have brought out a strong defense nearly every week. Apart from giving up 23 points to Texas, the Sooners’ defense has not let any team that they have played score over 20 points. If this defense shows up, the Ole Miss offense will have a long day and a long trip home.

For Ole Miss, the story has been the exact opposite. Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss has been a force at the quarterback position since the benching of sophomore Austin Simmons.

His most dominant game, at least in terms of yards, came against Arkansas, where he threw for 353. Apart from that game, Chambliss has been consistent throughout the course of the season. So far, he has 1,549 yards, eight touchdowns, and only one interception, which came in a win over a Whit Weeks-led LSU defense.

On the ground, the Rebels have been even more dominant. Running back Kewan Lacy is ranked as the 21st-best rusher in the country according to ESPN. On the season, Lacy has 618 yards on 138 carries and 10 touchdowns to boot.

Seemingly, the only slight downside for Ole Miss is its defense. The Rebels surrendered 42 points in a loss to Georgia last week, which is the most they’ve surrendered all season. Second on that list would be the 35 points the Rebels' defense gave up in a win over Arkansas.

In the game against Arkansas, the offense was able to keep pace and come out with a win. But if this Ole Miss defense surrenders an equal amount of points on Saturday, we could see a similar result to last week.

This SEC battle will take place at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. For those who are unable to attend, the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Max Malec is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mvm7264@psu.edu.