Sooners are huge underdogs vs. No. 18 Ole Miss; a huge role reversal for OU historically

Oklahoma makes it first ever football trip to the state of Mississippi this weekend to do battle with the 18th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels

This will be only the second time that the Sooners and Ole Miss have ever played each other in football and the first time in the regular season. The lone contest was in the 1999 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, in Bob Stoops' first season as Oklahoma head coach. The game was played on New Year's Eve and was the last college football game played in the 20th century. Ole Miss won the game 27-25 on a walk-off 39-yard field goal.

Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3) has won 34 of its last 43 true road games dating back to 2014. The Sooners are 47-30-1 (.603) all-time in true road against against teams from the SEC.

The Sooners are listed a 20.5-point underdogs against Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2) on Saturday. It has been 26 years since the last time an Oklahoma football team has been an underdog in a game. The Sooners were a 24-point underdog to Texas Tech on November 22, 1997. OU ended up losing that game 31-22 under John Blake in the final game of the regular season.

Saturday's game will be played at Vaught-Hemmingway stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, with kickoff at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPN with an announce crew of Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick and Kris Budden.

What fans need to know about Ole Miss

• Ole Miss leads the SEC in scoring offense (41.4) and total offense (560.7 yards per game) and ranks No. 8 and No. 2, respectively, on a national basis in both of those categories. The Rebels rank in the top-10 nationally in 11 offensive categories.

• What makes Ole Miss such a dangerous team is the Rebels are as good on defense as they are on offense. They lead the SEC and rank No. 2 in the country in both scoring defense (10.6 points allowed per game) and total defense (289.4 yards per game).

• The prime contributors on offense for Ole Miss are quarterback Jaxson Dart, who has completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards and 14 touchdowns with just one interception; running back Henry Parrish Jr. with 612 yards rushing, and average of 5.8 yards per carry, and nine rushing TDs; and wide receiver Tre Harris who has close to 1,000 yards receiving on 59 catches and six touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has Harris as the highest-graded wide receiver in college football.

• On the defensive side of the ball, linebackers Chris Paul Jr. and Suntarine Perkins have combined for 7.0 sacks and 14 tackles for loss this season.

• With one more win, Jaxson Dart would have 24 as the Ole Miss starting quarterback. That would tie him for the most wins by a Rebel quarterback since 1968.

What to watch for from Oklahoma

• Sophomore Jackson Arnold will draw the starting assignment at quarterback against Ole Miss. It will be his fifth start of the season.

• A new interim offensive coordinator, Joe Jon Finley, will be call offensive plays for the Sooners on Saturday. Oklahoma dismissed offensive coordinator Seth Littrell earlier this week. Finley served as co-offensive coordinator along with Littrell.

• The Oklahoma offense has suffered a multitude of problems this season, but if the Sooners can't advance the ball and put points on the board against Ole Miss, it could be another long and disappointing afternoon for the Sooner faithful. Oklahoma ranks 107th out of 134 FBS teams in points scored (22.1) 114th in rushing yards (112.1 per game), 116th in passing yards (176.0 per game) and 128th in total offense (288.1).

• The Sooner defense has played much better this season, led by All-American candidates LB Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman along with edge rusher R Mason Thomas, but is going to have its hands full containing a highly productive Ole Miss offense.

• If Oklahoma is going to win this game, it is probably going to be on defense and especially by winning the turnover battle. Through the first five games, the Sooners were plus-five in turnover margin (13 takeaways and five giveaways). In its last two games (Texas and South Carolina), however, the situation has reversed itself. OU is minus-five in turnover margin (six giveaways and one takeaway). In the Sooners four wins this season, they have outscored opponents 56-6 off turnovers. In their three losses, the Sooners have been outscored 41-0 off turnovers.

Injury report

Oklahoma: WR Jayden Gibson (out); WR Nic Anderson (out); WR Andrel Anthony (out); WR Jalil Farooq (out); DB Gentry Williams (out); DB Kendel Dolby (out); OL Geirean Hatchett (out); RB Gavin Sawchuk (doubtful); WR Deion Burks (questionable).

Ole Miss: CB Cedric Beavers (out); RB Logan Diggs (out); RB Matt Jones (doubtful) WR Tre Harris (questionable); OL Jayden Williams (questionable); OL Jeremy James (questionable); DE Princely Umanmielen (probable); LB TJ Dottery (probable); WR Cayden Lee (probable).

Weather forecast

Sunny and 71 degrees at kickoff. No precipitation. Wind: 5 mph. Temperature 78 degrees at end of game.

Key matchup

Oklahoma has to be able to run the ball for the offense to be effective, and the Sooners have not been able to do that against good SEC defensive fronts. They will face another one against Ole Miss. Oklahoma is averaging a substandard 112 rushing yards per game and just 3.1 per attempt. That ranks 114th out of 134 FBS teams. Meanwhile, Ole Miss ranks No. 1 in the nation in defending the rush, allowing just 66 yards a game. How this matchup plays out will be a big factor in the Sooners' ability to stay in this game.

Prediction

It's difficult to have a lot of faith in this Oklahoma team right now. They will have a play caller on offense (Joe Jon Finley) who isn't used to calling plays and an offensive line that has to be among the worst of any Power Four team. I don't see the Sooners scoring many points in this game. The burden will be on the OU defense to slow down the Rebels and limit points from touchdowns. I believe Oklahoma will make the final score closer than the betting line, though. Ole Miss 30, Oklahoma 17