Advertisement
football Edit

Five Players to Watch: Ole Miss

Dan Mullen's program will kick off the 2020 season with a rare road matchup on Saturday afternoon, as Ole Miss looks to play spoiler against a UF program that ranks in the top 10 for a second consecutive preseason.

Saturday marks UF's first season-opening road game since 1987 and first trip to Oxford since 2007. The Gators have notched at least 10 wins in consecutive seasons, while Lane Kiffin enters season No. 1 with the Rebels and looks to make a major splash in his debut.

With that said, here are five Ole Miss players to watch in Saturday's season opener against the Gators.

Not a premium subscriber? Use promo code "50UFSave" to receive 50% OFF an annual subscription!

NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS

© Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
© Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement

Elijah Moore

Moore led the Rebels in receiving last year by a wide margin, bringing in 67 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns, and is back this year looking to put up bigger numbers in a Lane Kiffin attack that is a wide receiver's best friend. When you look at the fact that CJ McWilliams is likely going to be his primary defender because he has made the move to STAR this offseason and he hasn’t seen any game action in over a year, which is why I have Elijah Moore at number 1 on this list.

© Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
© Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

  John Rhys Plumlee  

Dan Mullen made it a point to mention Plumlee in his press conference at the beginning of the week, and it’s for good reason. He even said he believes Plumlee would be the fastest player on Florida’s roster and might even be faster than CJ Henderson, who logged a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine.

Though he is a quarterback, Plumlee led the Rebels in rushing last year with 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns off 6.6 yards per carry. He also accounted for 910 passing yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He is a dynamic athlete, and even though it doesn’t look like he’s going to win the starting quarterback job, he is way too talented not to see the field and is probably the biggest playmaking threat the Rebels have.

© Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
© Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Jerrion Ealy

The former Rivals100 athlete manufactured a solid freshman campaign, running 104 times for 722 yards and six touchdowns, averaging an impressive 6.9 yards per carry. He was also the team’s fourth leading receiver in terms of yards but second in catches, snagging 20 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown.

With veteran Scottie Phillips gone to graduation and no longer taking away carries away from Jerrion, I expect coach Kiffin to try and get him involved early and often.

© Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
© Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Corral

Corral was the Rebels' leading passer last year, tossing the pigskin for 1,362 yards, six touchdowns and and three interceptions, and from everything we have heard, he looks to be the favorite to win the starting job on Saturday as well.

The one-time Florida commit has a cannon for an arm and should be able to make all the throws Kiffin will ask of him, but he didn’t really fit into Dan Mullen’s offensive scheme. I expect Corral to come out with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and feel like he has something to prove, explaining why the former Rivals100 prospect made this list.

© John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
© John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Lakia Henry

Henry led the Rebels in tackles last year with 87 and is the senior leader of the position that looks to be the strongest on Ole Miss's defense. Lakia does a good job of diagnosing the run and reacting quickly, and also flashes the ability to get sideline to sideline with above-average speed.

Tagged as the sixth-ranked inside linebacker from the 2019 class, Henry will be looking to shut down Florida’s run game in hopes of making the Gators one dimensional and helping out a young secondary that was last in the conference against the pass in 2019.

Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.

Advertisement