SEC Week 2 Preview: Rebels, Wildcats Face off in Oxford
After an explosive Week 1 for the SEC, the conference looks ahead to another action packed weekend. Here are some of the biggest matchups and what factors will turn wins into defeats.
Kentucky vs. Ole Miss
For the first time in 2025, two SEC squads will go meet Saturday. Kentucky won the 2024 contest, toppling then-No. 6 Ole Miss in a season-defining 20-17 upset.
But, beyond that, it was a tough season for coach Mark Stoops and the Wildcats. They declined from 2023, losing three less games and failing to qualify for a bowl game. The Wildcats finished 2024 losing six of their last seven games.
Stoops ventured to the transfer portal to fix the issues. Kentucky ended with the 10th-best transfer class in the nation last offseason, per 247 Sports.
For Ole Miss, 2024 can be summed up as close, but no cigar. Rebels looked like a premier team in the SEC, beating Georgia. But, a loss late in November at Florida would leave the Rebels just outside the College Football Playoff.
Like the Wildcats, the No. 20 Rebels were an active team in the transfer portal. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin landed the fourth best class in the country with 30 recruits.
Keys for Kentucky
In Week 1, Kentucky had an ugly performance against Toledo, much due to a nightmare debut for transfer senior quarterback Zach Calzada, who went a poor 10 for 23 for 85 yards with one interception.
Transfer junior running back Dante Dowdell needed a big debut for the Wildcats to win. He finished the game with 14 carries, 129 yards and a touchdown, with a strong 9.2 yards per carry.
The hope of a Kentucky victory rests on its defense. The Wildcats finished seventh in the SEC in points allowed last season.
Specifically, Kentucky will rely on its defensive leaders, such as star linebacker Alex Afari Jr. He was the team leader in solo tackles last week with nine. He had played for the Wildcats in all three of his previous collegiate seasons, with Stoops raving about his performance Wednesday:
Keys for Ole Miss
Ole Miss saw great success with big plays last week. The Rebels managed to have seven go for 30 or more yards.
Kiffin spoke of the importance of an explosive offense in his media availability Wednesday:
The Rebels will also look to lean on their run defense. In 2024, Ole Miss had the best run defense in the SEC, allowing just 80.5 yards per game. That figure was more than 20 yards per game less than the next closest team.
Ole Miss returned much of its defensive line from a season ago. All four projected starters this week were on the squad in 2024. This is in contrast to its secondary, which saw both starting corners and the free safety transfer in this past offseason.
A strong run defense was a big portion of the Ole Miss philosophy in 2024 and would counter the strengths of Kentucky.
Kentucky quarterback Zach Calzada last faced an SEC squad in 2021, when he started for Texas A&M. Calzada finished 4-4 as a starter against the SEC.
He was forced to transfer out of the SEC that offseason to Incarnate Word. Calzada replaced Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Cam Ward at the school.
He struggled last week and never got going against Toledo. Ole Miss will feel comfortable with Calzada having the ball in his hands.
Tune in to the matchup at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.
Kansas vs. Missouri
For the first time in 14 years, the two rivals will do battle on the gridiron Saturday. Known as the “Border War,” the two first met in 1891. When the annual matchup concluded in 2011, it was the second most played rivalry in Division I history.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz spoke in length about the rivalry Wednesday:
2024 saw the first disappointing season for Kansas under coach Lance Leipold. In three years, Leipold turned the Jayhawks from a winless program to 9-4. Last season however, Kansas regressed to 5-7.
Much of Kansas’ drawback was due to its lack of ability to win single-score games. Of its seven losses, five were by one score.
Missouri has also found recent success from Drinkwitz, who took the Tigers from a .500 program to winners of the 2023 Cotton Bowl. Last season, the Tigers finished 10-3, good enough for fourth in the SEC.
Keys for Kansas
The identity for the Jayhawks under Leipold has been their rushing offense. In 2023, Kansas finished third in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game, averaging 212.1 yards. In their two games this season, Kansas has averaged 246 yards per game.
Sixth-year senior quarterback Jalon Daniels will also need to play a clean game. Daniels, while not a star, has been a leader during the Jayhawks’ turnaround.
Last season, Kansas was a far different team when Daniels took care of the ball. In games when Daniels threw no interceptions in 2024, the Jayhawks went 3-1. In all other games, Kansas went 2-6. The experience of Daniels will need to bear fruit by keeping his defense out of bad spots Saturday.
Keys for Missouri
Under Drinkwitz, the Tigers have emphasized a defense-first philosophy. In the past two seasons, they have ranked among the SEC’s best in yards per game. Missouri’s run defense was the sore spot for Missouri, which ranked bottom half in the SEC last season. The Tigers will need to show improvement Saturday to be in a position to win.
Missouri’s offense will also need to help out its new quarterback. Gone is Tigers legend Brady Cook, who graduated last year. Instead, the Tigers elected to start Beau Pribula, a transfer quarterback from Penn State.
Before last week, Pribula had not made a collegiate start. He mainly played in blowout contests in his two seasons at Penn State.
Pribula was called upon against Wisconsin in 2024 following an injury to starter Drew Allar, where he went 11 for 13 for 98 yards and a touchdown.
Missouri will look to transfer running back Ahmad Hardy to spark the offense. Hardy, a sophomore, ran for over 1,300 yards last season as a true freshman for Louisiana Monroe. He averaged 10 yards per carry in his Tigers debut last week.
Missouri will also want to dominate the trenches with their offensive line. The unit is ranked amongst the best in the SEC by various outlets. All five projected starters are upperclassman, bringing experience to the lineup.
Tune in to the matchup at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.
Arizona State vs. Mississippi State
In 2024, the two sides faced off in Tempe for the first of a two-year series. Last season, it was the Sun Devils scoring a 30-23 victory.
The Bulldogs finished 2-10 and failed to win a single game in SEC play.
Arizona State’s 2024 was one filled with success. The Sun Devils finished with an 11-3 record, winning the program’s first Big 12 title. The team would ultimately fall short in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, losing to Texas in double overtime in the Peach Bowl.
The squads that take the field this Saturday will look vastly different than last season. The biggest loss this offseason belonged to the Sun Devils.
Star running back Cam Skattebo departed for the NFL draft. He recorded more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage last season and broke the school record for rushing yards in a season.
Mississippi State as a whole saw far greater turnover than Arizona State in the offseason. The Bulldogs brought in 34 new players through the transfer portal and saw 38 players leave.
Keys for Mississippi State
In games that Mississippi State lost a year ago, the defense was often blown out. In their 10 losses last year, the Bulldogs gave up a whopping 38.2 points per game. The team surrendered just 13.5 points per game in its two wins.
While Mississippi State was poor across its defense last season, it was far worse in the run game. The Bulldogs gave up an SEC worst 216.9 rushing yards per game. Against an Arizona State squad that prioritizes the run, that figure must be improved.
On the offensive side of the ball, many of the key skill players remain from 2024. The Bulldogs kept senior quarterback Blake Shapen, their starter to open last season. Shapen missed the last eight games in 2024 with a shoulder injury.
Shapen was a bright spot for Mississippi State in his four starts, though. He finished with 974 yards, throwing eight touchdowns and one interception. The Bulldogs will call upon him to keep the ball safe and make some tough throws down the stretch.
Keys for Arizona State
Rather than going to the transfer portal to replace Skattebo, the Sun Devils promoted from within. 2024 second-string running back Kyson Brown got the starting job.
In the season opener, Brown ran 73 yards on seven carries, a 10.4 yard average. While that isn’t sustainable, he was an efficient back last season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Arizona State will also look to let loose star quarterback Sam Leavitt. He posted a strong campaign as a redshirt freshman, throwing for 2,885 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
In Year 2 of Leavitt at the helm, the Sun Devils aim to take the next step. He had an up-and-down opener, as he went 25 of 39 with two touchdowns and an interception.
Leavitt is also a true dual-threat quarterback. He tied with Brown for the team lead in rushing yards in the opener at 73 and scored two rushing touchdowns. Last season, Leavitt ran the ball 110 times and scored five rushing touchdowns.
Against a Mississippi State defense that struggles against the run, look for Leavitt and Brown to run an option offense at times.
Tune in to this game at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2.
Category: College Football, SEC
