The Florida loss is the part Lane Kiffin's staff spent the week on. The Gators ran right at Ole Miss, and Florida's Baugh had 85 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries in the first half alone. Meanwhile the Rebels reached scoring range twice before the break, settled for field goals both times and went into halftime down 11. There was talk afterward that the defense could see personnel changes. This was also the 2nd time in 4 games the Rebels gave up 38 or more, after a 41-38 shootout with Louisville to open the season.
Austin Peay28-9Vanderbilt's season has 2 halves. At home it went 3-0, though nobody got away. The 35-31 win over NC State came down to the end, and even Delaware stayed within 9. On the road against SEC teams it scored 15 at Auburn and 14 at Georgia, and the Commodores are 0-2 in league play. Coming home to Nashville helps. Getting the Rebels' passing game a week after Georgia's does not.
What decides it is whether Vanderbilt can do what Florida did: run the ball, keep Chambliss on the sideline and turn the game into a grind. If it can't, Ole Miss's offense outscores the problem the way it did against Louisville and LSU. The forecast is 80 degrees and cloudy with almost no wind, so the weather won't hold either offense back. Ole Miss had a bye to fix its run defense. Vandy has had 5 straight game weeks and spent this one in Athens. Saturday, October 10 shows whether the week off was worth it.