Kevin Sumlin is 0-4 against ranked teams inside Kyle Field. Hugh Freeze is 0-4 against ranked teams on the road at Ole Miss.
Something’s gotta give Saturday night in College Station.
The Rebels come to Kyle Field for the first time since 1975. Who’s ready for a nighttime, top-15 matchup against an undefeated team ranked third in the nation? If your hand’s not up, check your pulse.
Fixing the offense
Drops, interceptions, and three-and-outs — three things we saw too often last weekend out of the Aggie offense. If A&M is less than 50 percent on third-down conversions again this week, it’s going to get ugly. A&M was 5-of-17 in Starkville, and that pretty much summed up the game.
Luckily, this homecoming of sorts for the Aggies is perfectly placed, and a healthy dose of the 12th Man will do them good. It certainly did in overtime in Arlington.
Watch out for “sharks”
I always love when teams are matched up in strength-on-strength situations. This game is the epitome of that. Ole Miss has the “land sharks,” a group that has only given up one touchdown all season with its first-string defense. A&M has, well, Kenny Trill. That’s still a thing, right?
Fortunately, Ole Miss has yet to play a real road game this season, despite a trip to Nashville to face Vanderbilt. It’s certainly nice to have them at home after barely making it out of Oxford with a win the last two years. Hopefully we make it count.
You don’t know Bo
Bo Wallace did what he needed to do last week to beat Bama. He went 18-for-31 passing with 3 touchdowns, and rushed 11 times for 32 yards. The catch is this: you never know which Bo you’re going to get — “Good Bo” or “Bad Bo.” “Good Bo” threw for 251 yards and no interceptions last weekend. “Bad Bo” threw three picks in the first half against Boise State. You really don’t know Bo.
However, while the Rebels offense is no joke, it’s not the same animal as Mississippi State’s. Bo can run the ball, but he’s not Dak Prescott. Ole Miss isn’t nearly as effective on the ground as the Bulldogs are, and as such the Aggies should get plenty of opportunities to rush the passer Saturday, which may actually be what they’re best at on defense.
Turn down for what?
Also, while this may be a dated reference for some of you younger Ags, I think this game may be the closest thing we see to Nebraska 2010 in terms of the 12th Man showing up in a big way. After tailgating all day, a sellout, record-breaking crowd is just what the doctor ordered for the biggest night game at Kyle Field in almost three years. 106,000 Aggies all going nuts is going to be something special. This is going to be fun.
Patrick Crank is a senior telecommunications and media studies major and football editor for The Battalion