WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 18th meeting between the Rebels and Gamecocks … The Rebels lead the series 9-8.
• Ole Miss has won six of the last nine in the series, but South Carolina has won three of the last four.
• Ole Miss leads the FBS in eight different team categories across both offense and defense.
• Head coach Lane Kiffin stands at 99 career victories entering Saturday … He is 38-16 in his fifth season at Ole Miss.
• The Rebels are 33-11 overall since 2021 and rank third among all SEC schools in wins in that span.
• Ole Miss has held all five opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing, the first such streak since doing so six times to start the 1999 season … The Rebels lead the FBS in rushing defense at 46.2 yards allowed per game.
• The Rebels lead the FBS in TFL (53) and forced yards lost (220), averaging 10.6 TFL for 44.0 yards per game.
• Ole Miss has two of the top-five PFF pass rushers in DE Jared Ivey (2nd, 91.1) and DE Princely Umanmielen (4th, 86.6), and two of the top-five run defenders in DT JJ Pegues (1st, 90.9) and DT Walter Nolen (5th, 87.0).
• LB Chris Paul Jr. leads Ole Miss in tackles (37) and TFL (7.0), and ranks as the top SEC linebacker per PFF (90.7).
• QB Jaxson Dart leads the nation in three statistical categories and is PFF’s current top-rated QB at a 92.7 grade … Dart is one of four active FBS QBs with 9,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards.
• WR Tre Harris leads the FBS with 804 receiving yards, 157 more than the next best receiver nationally (TCU’s Jack Bech, 647) and 342 yards ahead of the SEC’s No. 2 receiver (Alabama’s Ryan Williams, 462).
• Harris is one of three active FBS receivers at 3,000 career yards and 25 TD.
• Ole Miss leads all FBS offenses since 2020 at 508.3 yards per game and is the lone team to rank top-10 in both rushing (6th, 215.6) and passing (10th, 292.7) in that span.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin is in his fifth season at Ole Miss and has led the Rebels to four consecutive bowl berths, including two New Year’s Six appearances, under his guidance since 2020. In 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has posted an all-time record of 99-50, including a 38-16 mark at Ole Miss. Kiffin led the 2023 Rebels to the best season in Ole Miss history in terms of wins, notching an 11-2 overall record capped by a 38-25 Peach Bowl victory over Penn State. The Rebels finished No. 9 in both final versions of the AP and Coaches polls, the highest finish overall since 2015 (No. 9 Coaches) and their highest in the final AP poll since 1969 (No. 8). In 2022, Kiffin led the Rebels to the Texas Bowl, thanks to another dynamite offense that ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing offense (256.6) and No. 8 in total offense (496.4) in 2022. Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, its highest final ranking since 2016. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in his first season in 2020. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998.
SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH SHANE BEAMER
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is in his fourth season leading the Gamecock program in 2024 and has a 23-19 overall record. Beamer has led South Carolina to two bowl trips in his three seasons in Columbia. Prior to his first head coaching stint, Beamer had been an assistant coach at seven Football Bowl Subdivision schools for 21 seasons. During his career as an assistant, he coached in 17 bowl games, including a College Football Playoff National Championship Game, posted 18 non-losing seasons, six of those with double-digit victories, and his teams won 63 percent of its games. He has coached all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, Beamer was a member of five bowl teams and three Big East Conference championship squads on the Hokie football team as a long snapper and wide receiver. He was a long snapper on the 1999 Virginia Tech team that played for the BCS National Championship.
GAMECOCK SCOUTING REPORT
South Carolina is 3-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play entering this week’s game with Ole Miss. The Gamecocks are averaging 371.8 yards of total offense per game, with 192 coming through the air and 180 yards per game on the ground. Transfer running back Raheim Sanders has been South Carolina’s biggest offensive weapon on the season. Sanders has 57 carries for 286 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Auburn transfer Robby Ashford serves as the Gamecocks’ primary signal caller and is completing 69 percent of his passes for 292 yards on the season, with two TDs. Mazeo Bennett Jr. has been the Gamecocks’ top receiving option with 11 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Gamecocks are allowing just 264.8 yards per game, which ranks No. 14 in the FBS. Only one opponent this season has surpassed 350 yards on offense against the Gamecocks. South Carolina ranks sixth in the country, averaging 3.5 sacks per game. Defensive back Nick Emmanwori leads South Carolina in both total tackles (24) and interceptions (2). Kyle Kennard, a transfer from Georgia Tech, ranks No. 1 in the country in tackles for loss per game (2.1) and top 5 in total sacks (8.5). Punter Kai Kroeger is averaging 47.5 yards per punt, with six punts longer than 50 yards.
OLE MISS-SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 18th meeting between Ole Miss and South Carolina dating back to 1947.
• Ole Miss leads the all-time series 9-8, while the series is tied 4-4 in Columbia.
• This marks the ninth meeting between the Rebels and Gamecocks since South Carolina joined the SEC in 1992.
• Ole Miss has won six of the last nine, but South Carolina has won three of the last four.
• Lane Kiffin is 2-0 all-time vs. South Carolina, winning in 2009 at Tennessee and in 2020 with the Rebels … This marks Kiffin’s first trip to Columbia.
REBS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss currently ranks No. 11 in the Coaches poll and No. 12 the Associated Press poll for Week Six.
• Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top-25 in 50 of the last 54 poll releases … That includes a streak of 29 across 2021 and 2022, the longest streak since being ranked for 41 straight weeks from 2014-16.
• The SEC boasts nine teams in the top 25, including five within the top-10 and four in the top-5.
LOCK THE ENDZONE
The Rebel defense has been stout, currently leading the FBS in rushing defense (46.2), tackles for loss (53) and ranking tied for first with four other schools in fewest touchdowns allowed (3). Ole Miss is tied for fifth in both 8.4 points allowed per game and 42 total points allowed in 2024. The Rebels allowed their first touchdown of the season at the 14:12 mark of the second quarter to Georgia Southern on a halfback pass, ending its touchdown-less streak at 195:48 of game time — the longest such streak by a Rebel defense since 1959, when Ole Miss shut out eight of its 11 opponents and only gave up 21 points all season long. Furthermore, Ole Miss did not trail until a Kentucky touchdown with 27 seconds left in the first half gave the Wildcats a 10-7 lead into the break. That score ended 269:33 of consecutive lead time for the Rebels to start the 2024 season, and was the first time trailing since the first quarter against Penn State in the 2023 Peach Bowl last December. In total, Ole Miss’ consecutive lead time from the Peach Bowl until Sept. 28 clocked in at 315:03.
TOUGH SLEDDING
No opponent has been able to break 100 yards rushing against Ole Miss, which leads all FBS schools at a paltry 46.2 rushing yards allowed per game. In the first half alone, opposing offenses have struggled mightily, combining for just 110 rushing yards and 1.4 yards per carry. On the season, the Rebels have only yielded 231 total yards on the ground, holding Furman (26), Middle Tennessee (28), Wake Forest (46), Georgia Southern (38) and Kentucky (93) all below the century mark. This current streak constitutes the first five-game stretch of holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing since 1999, when the Rebels did so in six straight and seven of their first eight games to open the season. In available records, this Ole Miss defense is the first to hold four consecutive opponents to fewer than 50 yards rushing in the same season since at least 1969, when reliable game-by-game team stats become available. The three straight sub-50 yard performances to start were the first such streak since 1993, and the two sub-30 efforts by the Rebel defense were also the first since the 1999 season.
CAUSING MAYHEM
The Ole Miss defense has been ever-present in the backfield, currently leading the nation in tackles for loss (53) and total forced yards lost at 220 — averaging 10.6 TFL for 44.0 yards lost per game this season. The Rebels have three games with double-digit TFL this season, already the most by an Ole Miss defense since the 2021 squad that ended with three such games under its belt. Ole Miss was particularly destructive in the season-opener against Furman, rattling the Paladins for a whopping 16 TFL for a loss of 62 yards — the most TFL since Ole Miss notched 17 vs. Mississippi State in 2000, as well as the most yards lost since denting Kent State for 76 in 2018. Ole Miss is coming off a 35-sack season during its historic 2023 campaign, which marked the first time since the sack became an official college statistic in 1983 that the Rebels have recorded at least 35 in three consecutive seasons. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss has recorded multiple sacks in 39 games, at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 37 games, and at least 4.0 sacks in 21 games. In games under Kiffin with at least 5.0 tackles for loss, Ole Miss is 27-10, and in games with at least 4.0 sacks, the Rebels are 12-4.
HIDE YOUR QB
The Rebel defense also owns a tie for the SEC’s best pass rush with Oklahoma at 18 total sacks this season, which trails only Boise State’s 19 sacks on the FBS leaderboard. More than half of Ole Miss’ season total of 220 forced yards lost have come via the QB sack, with the Rebels racking up 134 yards when dragging the opposing quarterback down. Ole Miss owns three of the SEC’s top-10 current pass rushers in DE Princely Umanmielen (3.5), LB Suntarine Perkins (3.5) and DE Jared Ivey (3.0) LB Chris Paul Jr. isn’t far behind at 2.5 sacks of his own, but he does rank fourth in the SEC at his team-leading 7.0 TFL. Umanmielen ranks highly among all defenders on the FBS active career lists as well, sitting tied for 13th at 18.5 career sacks and tied for 20th at 30.5 career TFL, while Ivey is close to breaking onto Ole Miss’ all-time top-10 list at his 12.0 sacks in a Rebel uniform.
FEARSOME FRONT
The Ole Miss defensive line entered 2024 with a considerable amount of hype, and per PFF grades the Rebels have lived up to that pressure brilliantly though the first five games. Among edge defenders, Ole Miss possesses two of the top-five rated defenders in the FBS in DE Jared Ivey (2nd, 91.1) and DE Princely Umanmielen (4th, 86.6). Ivey is also PFF’s second-rated edge defender in pass rushing at a 90.5 grade. When switching to interior defensive lineman in the run defense category, the Rebels own two of the top-five rated run stoppers in DT JJ Pegues (No. 1, 90.9) and DT Walter Nolen (5th, 87.0), as well as two others within the top-25 in DT Zxavian Harris (14th, 81.6) and DT Jamarious Brown (23rd, 80.2). Pegues and Nolen even rate well when included edge defenders in the run-stopping category, ranking second and eighth, respectively, with Umanmielen and Ivey joining the list at Nos. 13 and 14. Combined, Ole Miss’ four main starters on the defensive line — Ivey, Nolen, Pegues and Umanmielen — have tallied up 60 tackles, 17.5 TFL for 73 yards, 7.5 sacks for 53 yards and 11 quarterback hurries.
INTO THE FIRE
The Rebels put massive work into the portal this past offseason, and nowhere is that more noticeable than on defense, where a bevy of newcomers have immediately made their presence felt. On the year, 31.5 of Ole Miss’ FBS-leading 53 tackles for loss have come from newcomers, led by junior LB Chris Paul Jr. (7.0 for 28 yards) and DE Princely Umanmielen (6.0 for 30 yards. Paul Jr. is also Ole Miss’ current leading tackler at 37 total stops, 2.5 sacks, four QB hurries and two pass breakups. Fellow LB TJ Dottery played one game for the Rebels in 2023, but is enjoying success in his first full season at Ole Miss as the team’s second-leading tackler at 25 total stops. Overall, six of Ole Miss’ top-10 tacklers this season are in their first full campaigns with the Rebels: Paul Jr. (37), Dottery (25), CB Trey Amos (20), S Jadon Canady (20), DT Walter Nolen (19) and S Louis Moore (15).
HIGH-FLYING OFFENSE
In the Kiffin era, the Rebel offense ranks as the most prolific in the nation, leading the FBS in yards per game since the beginning of the 2020 season at 508.3 yards per game. In terms of total yards, Ole Miss ranks third in the FBS at 27,449 yards within the Kiffin era. In that same four-year stretch, Ole Miss ranks sixth among all FBS schools in rushing yards per game at 215.6, as well as 10th in passing yards per game at 292.7 — which makes the Rebels the lone FBS team to rank within the top-10 in both categories.
RACKING UP THE YARDS
Kiffin’s dynamic Ole Miss offenses have single-handedly dismantled the Rebel record books, recording three of the top-five and four of the top-10 offensive seasons in school history since 2020. With those big single-season numbers come monster single-game numbers as well. Kiffin owns 26 games during his Ole Miss tenure with at least 600 yards of total offense, as opposed to just 16 times total from the beginning of the Ole Miss football program in 1893 until Kiffin’s arrival in 2020. At the 700-yard plateau, Kiffin’s Rebels own five of the seven total 700-yard games in Ole Miss history, as well as six of the top-eight performances all-time.
THROWIN’ DARTS
Senior QB Jaxson Dart started the 2024 campaign off better than any SEC signal caller since the dawn of the new millennium, and he has the numbers to prove it. Dart’s name is all over the FBS leaderboards, leading the nation in three different categories — passing yards (1,815), passing efficiency (208.5) and yards per attempt (12.4) — while also ranking within the FBS top-20 in nine additional areas. Dart’s 1,554 passing yards through four games ranked as the most by an SEC quarterback since 1998, when Kentucky’s Tim Couch — eventual No. 1 pick of the 1999 NFL Draft — put up 1,577 yards in his first four contests. Dart’s four consecutive 300-yard outings to open the 2024 season made him one of just two SEC quarterbacks to do so in the last 20 yards alongside Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett in 2010. Dating back to his 379-yard performance against Penn State in the Peach Bowl, Dart’s five consecutive 370-yard games ranks as the longest streak in the SEC in the last 20 years.
TRE-MENDOUS
Arguably no receiver has had as big an impact this season as Ole Miss senior wideout and preseason All-American Tre Harris, who leads all FBS receivers in total receiving yards (804) and receiving yards per game (160.8). His nearest competition atop the FBS leaderboard is 647 yards from TCU’s Jack Bech, while the next best in the SEC is Alabama freshman Ryan Williams at 462 yards. Harris’ 804 yards stand as the most by any receiver pre-October in the College Football Playoff era, and are the most by a Power-5 receiver since Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks tallied 807 before October in 2013 (per Connor O’Gara). Elsewhere, Harris leads the SEC and ranks second nationally in receptions per game (9.8), as well leading the conference in all-purpose yards per game at his FBS No. 5 average of 160.8. Harris’ five receiving touchdowns rank second among SEC receivers and eighth nationally, and his PFF receiver grade of 90.7 leads the SEC and ranks second among all FBS wideouts. No other FBS receiver has multiple games with 170 receiving yards, let alone three to match Harris’ outings against Georgia Southern (225), Furman (179) and Kentucky (176). Harris has had no fewer than eight catches this year, including at least 10 in each of his last three contests. Harris’ lowest yardage output was 94 at Wake Forest, hauling in at least 130 yards in his other four games this season. On the FBS active career lists, Harris ranks second in receiving touchdowns (27), third in receiving yards (3,306), fourth in receiving yards per game (68.9), seventh in yards per catch (15.8), eighth in receptions (209) and 15th in receptions per game (4.35).
GIVE JJ THE ROCK!
Ole Miss senior DT, Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist and Chucky Mullins Award winner JJ Pegues isn’t just a great defender or a caring member of the Oxford community: he’s also the not-so-secret offensive weapon for the Rebels. In his career, Pegues has scored three touchdowns since coming home to Lafayette County: a one-yard receiving touchdown in the 2022 Egg Bowl, and two rushing scores so far this season against Furman and Georgia Southern. Offensive prowess is no stranger to Pegues, though, who was a top-10 prospect nationally coming out of Oxford High School as a tight end before switching to defensive tackle while at Auburn. Pegues’ appearances on offense are nothing new for Rebel fans, but what is new this season is his status as the winner of the Chucky Mullins Award, an award handed out annually to a defensive player in honor of the late, great Chucky Mullins. At just two touchdowns for 12 points this season alone, Pegues is already the all-time leading points scorer by Chucky Mullins Award winners, and he is the first winner to score those points on offense. On the season, Pegues owns 15 tackles, 5.5 TFL for 14 yards, one half-sack, three QB hurries and the first fumble recovery of his career.
WELCOME BACK!
Senior RB Henry Parrish Jr. is in his third non-consecutive season with the Rebels, but against Middle Tennessee he put up the best rushing game of his career and one of the best scoring outputs in Ole Miss football history. Parrish carved the Blue Raiders for a career-high 165 yards and four touchdowns on the ground on just 14 carries, while also adding one catch for 16 yards. Those four TDs rank tied for second-most in Ole Miss history behind Showboat Boykin’s still-standing SEC record seven touchdowns against Mississippi State on Dec. 1, 1951. Parrish’s day against MTSU also ranked as the most since Matt Corral found the endzone four times against Tulane in 2021, and the most by a non-QB since Dexter McCluster scored four times against Tennessee in 2009. Of those four scores, three came in the first half, making him the first Rebel to score three in a half since Snoop Conner against Arkansas in 2021. In his career, Parrish Jr. owns 2,546 yards and 23 touchdowns rushing — 1,305 yards and 13 TD in a Rebel uniform.
