Ole Miss will present a very explosive offense against Kentucky

Ole Miss will be bringing their typical up-tempo style on Saturday.

Aug 30, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on during the fourth quarter against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Kentucky will be looking to clean things up after a Week 1 win that has fans pessimistic about the offense, one unable to produce a rhythm throughout the game, leading to the Wildcats winning by just eight points, 24-16. The defense was a bright spot on Saturday, and they'll be leaned on again with an Ole Miss offense that is known to put up a lot of points.

Mark Stoops knows what head coach Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss will bring, a team full of explosive players everywhere on the roster, a very typical Rebel offense. You know what you're getting whenever Ole Miss comes to town. That's no different this year.

"The tempo is the first thing, obviously, they go extremely fast and they dress things up very well," Stoops said during his press conference on Monday. "They do what they do, but present it differently. They present it very fast and have very good players out there doing it. A typical team for them, they’re good in all areas. Again, I’m very impressed with Austin Simmons. They have four transfer wide receivers that are playmakers that can run. I’m very impressed with their tight ends, very good players. Defensively, Pete Golding does a great job, they put a lot of pressure on you, make everything challenging, and tough."

What can Kentucky do to try and limit Ole Miss' fast pace and slow the high-scoring offense down? Stoops says providing different looks could pay dividends like it has in the past for Kentucky against the Rebels. Especially with how well the pass-rush looked in Week 1, Stoops knows they'll need to keep that up against Ole Miss.

"Trying to get the quarterback uncomfortable is always important," Stoops said. "I think what they do with their tempo, with their play actions, and keeping you off balance, they do a nice job of making it comfortable for their quarterback. We have to mix it up in many different ways. We’ve had some success in the past with it but it’s always a challenge, each and every year, so we have to continue to mix it up on them."

Kentucky's defense will certainly have their hands full, but they can't be as relied on as they were against Toledo, or it will be a long afternoon in Kroger Field against an offense that is due for an explosive play at any time in the game. Kentucky is going to have to get their offense in sync quickly.