NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Saturday, October 17, 12:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Stadium: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.
Line: MISS (-10.5)
For the first time since 1961, the Memphis Tigers started a football season 4-0, and it didn’t stop there. They followed up their Week 4 win over Cincinnati with a win against South Florida. In those five wins, they have averaged 47.8 points and rank 13th in the FBS for yards per game (541.2).
Justin Fuente is in his fourth year as head coach of the Tigers and has a 22-20 record. But things are looking up for Memphis after they ended last season with a 55-48 victory over BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl. It was their first bowl win since 2005, and they finished with an AP Poll ranking for the first time since 2004 (No. 25).
Fuente is already capitalizing on the momentum of the school’s first double-digit winning record season since 1938. The Tigers finished last season with a 10-3 record, 7-1 in the American Athletic Conference.
If it were any other year, the Tigers could have been looking at an undefeated season. But they face a No. 13-ranked Ole Miss on Saturday, and the Rebels will be eager to hand the Tigers their first loss of the season.
Ole Miss’ lone loss this season came as quite a shock after their Week 3 defeat of Alabama (43-37) in Tuscaloosa. They followed up a victory that sent shockwaves throughout the SEC with a Week 5 loss to a rising Florida team and are trying to find some of their September momentum again. The Rebels got some of it back with an easy Week 6 win over New Mexico State (52-3) but face a Memphis team with high expectations and a highly-productive offense to match theirs.
Quarterback Chad Kelly proved he could fare well under pressure in the win against Alabama. He racked up 341 yards and was responsible for three TDs despite the media attention the game drew and playing in a hostile environment. Kelly knows how to win on the road and produce against non-conference opponents.
Despite Memphis’ high-scoring offense and momentum, expect Ole Miss to come away with a win behind Kelly’s impressive offensive displays and their desperate need for another easy win before finishing out the season against only conference opponents. The game will likely be closer than the line suggests since Memphis is beating Ole Miss by the numbers (Ole Miss is averaging 46.8 PPG and is ranked 16th in yards per game), but the Tigers won’t be able to overcome the Rebels’ defense.
Prediction: Ole Miss 41, Memphis 38
Hannah Fields is a Tennessee Titans and SEC Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter @hanfran7, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.
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