Texas QB David Ash won the starting job over Case McCoy in camp and so far coach Mack Brown's decision has looked like a smart one as Ash has thrown three touchdown passes and no interceptions. (Getty Images) |
No. 14 Texas (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Ole Miss (2-0, 0-0 SEC)
Kickoff: Saturday, 9:15 ET (ESPN)
Watchability: Ole Miss went 2-10 last year and winless in the SEC, but there is a buzz around the program again because of new coach Hugh Freeze and a 2-0 start. The Longhorns opened as 12-point favorites, but the line has dropped to 10, which hints that this could be a closer game than originally expected.
Shining stars: Ole Miss: Bo Wallace. Wallace has put up big numbers in his first two games as a Rebel. He leads the team with 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns and has passed for 438 yards and five touchdowns. His familiarity with Freeze's offense has helped -- he spent the 2010 season with Freeze at Arkansas State, where Wallace redshirted as a freshman. Texas: Jackson Jeffcoat. Wallace will need to keep an eye out for both of the Longhorns' defensive ends, Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor. Jeffcoat is tied for the team lead with three tackles for a loss and also has a sack.
Who could steal the show: Texas: Malcolm Brown. The biggest head-scratcher in the Big 12 this week is trying to figure out why the Longhorns gave Brown only two carries last week. Is it possible the Longhorns were saving Brown for Ole Miss? UT coaches have said there's nothing to it; we'll see this week. Ole Miss: Jeff Scott. It might be silly to look too much into this statistic since Texas shut out New Mexico last week, but the Lobos were able to average 4.4 yards per carry and rack up 206 rushing yards out of their option attack. Scott is the Rebels' best running back, rushing for 113 yards on 13 carries last week.
You going? Ranking the road trip: Hotels started getting booked for this game so long ago that Texas is staying in Memphis and driving down Saturday, according to the Clarion Ledger. City Grocery, a popular restaurant in Oxford, filled its reservations in mid-June. It's going to be one huge party in the small town of Oxford and if you're going and haven't made reservations, better bring a sleeping bag and a tent.
Magic number for Texas: Third down. One reason the Longhorns have been pleased with sophomore QB David Ash is his efficiency on third down. Ash has completed 9 of 12 passes on third down, converting seven first downs when he's dropped back to pass.
Magic number for Ole Miss: 9. Ole Miss is tied for second in the nation with nine sacks. What's scary for Ash is he will not know where to look for pressure -- the Rebels do not have one player with more than one sack and 11 have at least 1/2 a sack.
This game comes down to: Whether the Texas offense is legitimate. What has held the Longhorns back the last two years has been their offense. Freeze is going to figure out a way for his offense to put some points on the board, which will test Ash and the Longhorns to see if they can score when the pressure is on. [To read Eye on College Football's keys to the Texas/Ole Miss game, click here.]
Prediction: Texas 31, Ole Miss 21
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Big 12 bloggers C.J. Moore and Patrick Southern, follow @CBSSportsBig12 on Twitter. You can also follow C.J. (@cjmoore4) and Patrick (@patricksouthern) as well.