Ole Miss Has a Chance to Put the Final Nail in Texas' Coffin

Another week, another opportunity for Ole Miss to make a statement.

Mississippi Rebels head coach Pete Golding. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Ole Miss Rebels will travel to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns for the first time since 2013. This highly anticipated matchup will have massive implications as both programs try to meet their long-term goals.

However, both teams had opposite results last week. The Rebels are coming off a resounding 31-3 win over the Missouri Tigers, while the Longhorns lost to an unranked opponent for the second consecutive week, falling 27-24 to the Florida Gators.

This week, Ole Miss has an opportunity to deliver Texas a knockout blow.

A Texas Team on the Ropes

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last weekend saw a lot of chaos around college football. Several top-10 teams suffered losses which shook the landscape. The Rebels have an opportunity to knock the Longhorns out of the SEC title race and potentially the College Football Playoff.

Texas is vulnerable right now. Their offense is tumbling at an alarming rate, and their defense could be without star defensive end Colin Simmons. Ole Miss should approach Austin as the more confident team and impose its style of play on the Longhorns. Preseason rankings shouldn't mean anything, and the Gators showed that Texas can lose at home.

Regardless of the Longhorns' struggles, they still have a talented roster. Pete Golding spoke highly of Steve Sarkisian and Texas.

“Obviously I spent a lot of time with Sark at Alabama. A lot of respect for him, I think he’s one of the best playcallers in the country and it’s not close. Think he does the best designing plays to get his best player the ball, in stride as well. I think what’s unique about this year when you watch them on tape — they’ve had a lot of bad luck," Golding said. "Hitting guys in stride, it hits them in the chest, ball bounces off, get a pick and all those type of things. I think somehow it’s been lost that they beat the No. 1 team in the country and they were the No. 1 team in the country at some point.” 

Clearly, Ole Miss shouldn't overlook Sarkisian's team. With or without Simmons, Texas' defense is tough to beat, and Trinidad Chambliss will have his work cut out for him. The Rebels can't allow the home crowd to get involved early, so the offense should sustain long drives down field.

The Longhorns are struggling offensively, but they still have talented playmakers who can make an impact. The Vanderbilt and Missouri games are in the past. Now, Ole Miss has to prove it's a legitimate contender by defeating Texas in a road prime-time game.

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