By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Matt Smith previews the 2022 Ole Miss Rebels.

2022 SEC Season Preview: Ole Miss
OLE MISS REBELS
Head Coach: Lane Kiffin 3 third season at Ole Miss; 11th season overall (14-11 SEC, 76-42 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Charlie Weis Jr. (first season)
Defensive Coordinator: Chris Partridge (first season)
2021 Recap: 10-3 (6-2 SEC); lost to Baylor in Sugar Bowl
Ole Miss may have had the most entertaining season of any team in 2021. From the September fireworks to a wild overtime win over Arkansas to the mayhem in Knoxville, the Rebels and fiery quarterback Matt Corral delivered their first winning since 2015 with a perfect September and November to reach a New Years Six Bowl. Losses to Alabama and Auburn eliminated any hopes of an SEC title, but Lane Kiffin got everything he could have gotten out of the 2021 Rebels. An injury to Corral dampened the season-ending party in New Orleans, but football was fun again in Oxford.

2022 Schedule
Sept. 3 3 TROY (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Sept. 10 3 CENTRAL ARKANSAS (7 p.m. ET)
Sept. 17 3 at Georgia Tech (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Sept. 24 – TULSA
Oct. 1 3 KENTUCKY
Oct. 8 3 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 15 3 AUBURN
Oct. 22 3 at LSU
Oct. 29 3 at Texas A&M
Nov. 12 3 ALABAMA
Nov. 19 3 at Arkansas
Nov. 24 3 MISSISSIPPI STATE (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Under Center
Replacing an Ole Miss legend like Corral is akin to having to replace a Manning. It took five years for the Rebels to replace Eli Manning, but there is a bit more hope this time with sophomore Luke Altmyer and USC transfer Jaxson Dart heading into an intense camp competition. It was anticipated that Darts acquisition was in order to be the starter, but Altmyer was the more consistent player in the spring, aided by having a year of familiarity with Kiffins offense.

How will this play out? Kiffin wont tip his hand, but with a cushy September schedule, time is not a factor. Expect to see both play in the first two weeks before perhaps having to make a final call heading into the Week 3 game against Georgia Tech. My prediction that is Altmyer starts the opener, but Dart will display enough upside during the first two games against overmatched defense to earn himself the starting role by mid-September and the start of conference play.

In The Trenches
The Rebels offensive line loses its inside anchor in Ben Brown, but, three starters return along with 26-game starter Mason Brooks, who transferred in from Western Kentucky. This group is highly position-flexible, allowing Ole Miss to tinker with the left to right lineup and more easily plug some holes if and when injuries arise. The running back group has been completely overhauled, as last years top three are all gone, but a pair of massive transfer additions from the Metroplex in TCUs Zach Evans and SMUs Ulysses Bentley make this unit the most promising on the team

The defensive front seven will be the biggest litmus test for the Portal Kings strategy. Sam Williams is off to the NFL after registering 12.5 sacks, and middle linebacker Chance Campbell also departs. New additions include end Jared Ivey (Georgia Tech), tackle J.J. Pegues (Auburn) and linebacker Troy Brown (Central Michigan), but the star could be a returning player in third-year end Cedric Johnson. After a big step forward from this group from 2020 to 2021, Ole Miss needs to avoid regression if it hopes to reach double-digit wins again.

On The Edge
Who will catch passes? Ole Miss doesnt have many answers here after the top three receivers all moved on. Keeping senior Jonathan Mingo healthy is a must, but hell be helped by a pair of new faces in Malik Heath (Mississippi State) and Jaylon Robinson (UCF). Keep an eye on tight end Michael Trigg, who came over with Dart from USC. Trigg is a physical freak at 240 pounds. There was no star in last years group, but depth was sufficient. It remains to be seen whether the Rebels have either a true No. 1 receiver or adequate depth in the 2022 unit.

Cutting down on big plays was arguably the biggest growth area for the 2021 Ole Miss defense. Credit the secondary for that, which returns largely intact and adds hybrid safety Isheem Young from a very good Iowa State defense. Cornerback Deantre Prince and safeties Otis Reese and A.J. Finley have played a lot of football, giving this unit a rare dose of stability on a roster loaded with transfers.

Ranking The Units
1. Running Backs
2. Defensive Line
3. Defensive Backs
4. Quarterbacks
5. Offensive Line
6. Linebackers
7. Receivers

Schedule Analysis
This is an incredibly backloaded schedule. While Kiffin probably prefers it that way with the uncertainty at quarterback, the home stretch is almost unmanagebale. Anything shy of a 6-1 start would be a relative disaster, as the Rebels should be double-digit favorites in at least five and possibly six of the first seven games. 7-0 is not out of the question, but then comes three brutal road trips to LSU, Texas A&M and Arkansas, a home game with Alabama, and the rivalry game with Mississippi State just five days after playing in Fayetteville. The non-conference slate should again offer four comfortable wins. After a way-too-early idle week in 2021, the Rebels now have their off week too late, having to play nine games in nine weeks to begin the season.

Season Prediction
What a test this season will be for a programs ability to win primarily through the transfer portal. Last seasons team benefitted from really good chemistry. Can that be recreated synthetically, or does it have to come naturally? How do new faces and new coordinators blend with veterans who stuck with the program through a messy coaching change and all the COVID complications? Well learn a lot about Kiffins ability to build a team this fall.

The Rebels will reach that coveted 6-0 mark, but the back half of the season will see a pair of two-game losing streaks. Ole Miss Auburn problem will continue with a crushing home defeat, but the Rebels will upset Texas A&M on the road and make it three straight Egg Bowl wins on Thanksgiving Night. Ultimately, this is an 8-4 roster that will probably go 8-4.

Record: 8-4 (4-4 SEC)
Bowl: Music City Bowl vs. Iowa