Ole Miss WR Corps Faces a Missouri Secondary With Questions to Answer

This Saturday, the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels will play the No. 13 Missouri Tigers in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Much of the focus in previewing the game has been on the returns to Oxford for Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons, wide receiver Cayden Lee and cornerback Chris Graves Jr. for the first time since transferring from Ole Miss to Missouri last January.

However, Graves and the rest of Missouri's secondary will have to contend with Ole Miss' formidable passing attack if the Tigers want to keep pace with the Rebels on Saturday.

Missouri's Secondary vs. Ole Miss' Passing Offense

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss throws a pass against the Vanderbilt Commodores. — Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss throws a pass against the Vanderbilt Commodores during pre-game warmups at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Missouri's secondary has gotten five of the six interceptions for the Tigers this season. Missouri has also allowed 224.2 passing yards per game.

Looking just at Missouri's SEC opponents, which have been No. 16 Mississippi State, Florida and Texas A&M, in those three games, Missouri allowed 276.6 passing yards a game for five touchdowns and three interceptions.

The only game they've lost in that stretch has been the game against Mississippi State, which they lost 31-24. Mississippi State is also the closest in the rankings to Ole Miss, and features a similar focus on the passing game with State's quarterback Kamario Taylor and Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss.

Like Missouri, Ole Miss has played three conference games, which have been against No. 22 LSU, Florida and Vanderbilt. In those three games, Trinidad Chambliss has averaged 291.3 passing yards per game for six passing touchdowns and three interceptions.

Chambliss will be one of the best quarterbacks the Tigers have faced this season, along with Kamario Taylor. However, he isn't the only threat to the Tigers' secondary.

Despite giving up the previously mentioned 276.6 passing yards per game over the last three games, the only two receivers to go over 75 yards in a game were Mississippi State wide receivers Anthony Evans III and Sanfrisco Magee. Evans had eight receptions for 114 yards. Magee had three receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) runs with the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Giving up yards without many standout receiving performances means Missouri has forced teams to spread targets out to multiple receivers. For Ole Miss, that may mean less attention than usual could go to wide receiver Deuce Alexander.

Alexander has over double the receiving yards of the next closest pass catcher for the Rebels. He also has the most receiving touchdowns on the team with five, and it's a five-way tie for second with one.

If Alexander is limited and Chambliss is forced to find other targets, players like wide receiver Traylon Ray and tight end Caleb Odom could have big games.

Both are in a three-way tie for second most catches on the team with 17. They are also second and third on the team in receiving yards, with Ray having 231 and Odom having 230.

Against LSU, the only game this season where Alexander wasn't the leading receiver, Ray was the player who stepped up significantly with a seven-reception game for 115 yards and a touchdown.

The Rebels will have to find out who, if anybody, will need to step up against Missouri this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

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