Nineteen days out from Nashville, the Ole Miss opener is being sold nationally as a soft landing. Louisville's October tape says otherwise, and the connection runs straight through the quarterback who ended the Rebels' season. Take one: Louisville went into Miami last October and beat the No. 2 team in the country 24-21 by intercepting Carson Beck four times. That is the same Carson Beck who beat Ole Miss 31-27 in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Louisville's secondary did to him in October what Ole Miss could not do in January, and that defense returns. Brett Ciancia of Pick Six Previews has the Cardinals 19th nationally, second in the ACC, and in his conference title game.
Nineteen days out from Nashville, the Ole Miss opener is being sold nationally as a soft landing. Louisville's October tape says otherwise, and the connection runs straight through the quarterback who ended the Rebels' season.
Take one: Louisville went into Miami last October and beat the No. 2 team in the country 24-21 by intercepting Carson Beck four times. That is the same Carson Beck who beat Ole Miss 31-27 in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Louisville's secondary did to him in October what Ole Miss could not do in January, and that defense returns. Brett Ciancia of Pick Six Previews has the Cardinals 19th nationally, second in the ACC, and in his conference title game.
Take two: Ciancia graded every Ole Miss position group. Quarterback first in the SEC and first nationally, running back second, linebacker second and fifth nationally, defensive line fifth and 11th nationally, receivers and tight ends fifth, offensive line fourth. The defensive backs come in seventh in the league — the only Rebel unit outside the SEC's top five, and the cleanest answer to why Ole Miss is ninth and not third.
The honest counterweights: Louisville is starting a transfer quarterback who has never started a game at this level, and the Ole Miss secondary is dramatically better than last year's, with eight four-star transfer defenders in a No. 2-rated portal class and a projected climb from outside the top 40 into the top 25.
Is the secondary still the softest spot on this roster? Tell me in the comments.
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CHAPTERS (derived from the measured word counts above plus the 20-second ad)
0:00 — Louisville is not a tune-up — the Carson Beck tape
2:43 — The only Ole Miss unit outside the SEC's top five
4:37 — Closing