No. 15 Mississippi (7-1, 3-1 SEC) at Texas A&M (3-4, 1-3), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Line: Ole Miss by 1 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Texas A&M leads 9-4.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Embattled coach Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M return home for the first time in six weeks hoping to halt a three-game losing streak. A team formerly ranked No. 6 desperately wants to stop the bleeding. The Rebels are coming off their first loss at LSU and facing an uphill battle in the SEC West now. Ole Miss is also trying to shore up its defense. The Aggies have won three of the past four meetings.
KEY MATCHUP
The Texas A&M defense against the nation’s No. 3 rushing offense, led by freshman Quinshon Judkins. Ole Miss is averaging 252 yards on the ground and leads the nation with 26 rushing touchdowns. The Aggies rank just 102th in stopping the run, allowing an average of 179.3 yards per game. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has said he plans to limit the designed runs for QB Jaxson Dart and tailbacks Zach Evans and Ulysses Bentley have both been nursing injuries.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Mississippi: Judkins is the nation’s top freshman runner, leading the way in both rushing touchdowns (12) and yards (831). His five games with multiple touchdown runs matches the Ole Miss single-season record despite only starting his first game last week against LSU.
Texas A&M: RB Devon Achane is the only Power Five player with rushing, receiving and kick return touchdowns this season. Achane’s 156.1 all-purpose yards per game leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Rebels are the only FBS team with more than 3,500 total yards and 2,000 rushing yards. … The Aggies have held their own in three games against teams ranked in the Top 15 at the time. They beat then-No. 13 Miami 17-9 and then-No. 10 Arkansas 23-21 while taking then-No. 1 Alabama down to the final play in a 24-20 loss. … The two teams will be meeting only for the 14th time though the first came in 1911. … Ole Miss leads all FBS teams with 56 explosive plays of 20 yards or more this season. … The Rebels defense allowed an average of 264.3 yards a game through the first three games and 448 the last three.
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