Vanderbilt (3-0) at Ole Miss (2-1)  

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The Sports Network

DATE & TIME: Saturday, September 20th, 7:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Vaught-Hemingway (60,580) -- Oxford, Mississippi. Television: PPV. Home Record: Vanderbilt 2-0, Ole Miss 2-0. Away Record: Vanderbilt 1-0, Ole Miss 0-1. Neutral Record: Vanderbilt 0-0, Ole Miss 0-0. Conference Record: Vanderbilt 1-0, Ole Miss 0-0. Series Record: Ole Miss leads, 46-34-2.

GAME NOTES: Hoping to earn just their second 4-0 start since 1984, the Vanderbilt Commodores travel to Oxford for an SEC clash with the Ole Miss Rebels. Vanderbilt is coming off a 38-21 victory over Rice last weekend. The Commodores did win their league opener two weeks ago over South Carolina by a 24-17 final, and many stiff tests await on the schedule. The SEC is loaded as usual, but Vandy does have the advantage of playing Florida, Tennessee and Auburn at home. As for Ole Miss, it has played three consecutive non-league opponents to open the campaign, and the lone loss came against ACC power Wake Forest by two points on the road. Houston Nutt, who is in his first year as the leader of the Rebel program, guided his troops to a 34-10 decision over Samford last weekend. Ole Miss owns a 46-34-2 advantage in the all-time series with Vanderbilt, but the Commodores posted a 31-17 victory last year.

Vanderbilt is averaging a modest 309.7 total ypg, so the fact that the team is scoring 32.0 ppg is certainly surprising. The ground attack is clearly the strength of the offense, accounting for 225.7 ypg, 5.1 ypc and 10 of the 12 offensive touchdowns. Quarterback Chris Nickson is a major running threat who leads the team with 268 yards and five touchdowns. He gets help from Jared Hawkins, who is close behind with 242 yards and three scores. As a passer, Nickson has completed 53.3 percent of his attempts for 252 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Against Rice last week, Nickson had a pair of touchdown runs and finished with 85 yards on the ground to go along with 71 through the air. As for Hawkins, he rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Vanderbilt is allowing 17.0 ppg and 357.3 total ypg, as the defense has been solid thus far. The Commodores are permitting just 3.4 ypc to opposing ball carriers and fewer than 100 rushing yards per game. As for the play against the pass, Vandy has come up with six interceptions. The team has also registered 10 sacks and come up with a pair of fumble recoveries. Several players have performed quite well for the defense, but we will just highlight a couple. Patrick Benoist leads the club in tackles with 30, including three TFLs. As for D.J. Moore, he has posted a pair of interceptions. Rice put up 407 total yards and scored three touchdowns against Vanderbilt last weekend. It should be pointed out, however, that all three of the Owls' scores came in the first half, and the Commodores played tremendous defense in the second half to pave the way to victory.

Ole Miss is averaging 34.3 ppg and 407.3 total yards of offense per contest. The Rebels feature a balanced offensive attack that has yielded six rushing scores and six passing touchdowns. The running game accounts for 173.0 ypg and 5.1 ypc, impressive numbers for Nutt and company. Brandon Bolden is the top ground gainer with 161 yards and two touchdowns. The team's quarterback, Jevan Snead, is a transfer from the University of Texas who has completed 55.8 percent of his passes for 660 yards and six touchdowns against three interceptions. Shay Hodge has only made eight catches for the Rebels, but those receptions have resulted in 176 yards and three touchdowns. Against Samford last weekend, Ole Miss racked up 424 total yards. Snead was intercepted twice, but he did throw for 222 yards. Three different tailbacks scored a rushing touchdown, and the Rebels reached the end zone on a punt return as well.

Opponents are scoring 21.3 ppg against Ole Miss, which is allowing 333.0 total ypg. The Rebels are allowing just 3.1 ypc on the ground and 9.1 yards per pass completion. They have only registered three takeaways and five sacks, so there is certainly room for improvement in the area of big plays. Jamarca Sanford leads the club with 25 total tackles, and Jonathan Cornell is tops with 3.5 TFLs. Samford scored just one touchdown against the Rebels last weekend, but it is hard to fault the Ole Miss defenders for that score, as the drive started at the Rebel 13-yard line. The defense yielded only 198 total yards, including 1.8 ypc on the ground and 7.8 yards per pass completion. The hope for Ole Miss is that standout defensive end Greg Hardy will be able to return from a foot injury this weekend, but his status is questionable.

Expect this game to be close from start to finish, and give a narrow edge to the Rebels. Nutt is a tremendous coach, and Snead will likely bounce back strong from his two-interception game against Samford.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ole Miss 24, Vanderbilt 20

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