NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt returns home at 3 p.m. Saturday to host No. 9 Mississippi, the second of three straight top-10 opponents for the Commodores.
Vandy (3-2, 0-1 SEC) has been off since Sept. 24 when it lost 55-3 at No. 2 Alabama. It has used that time to rest and recover while simultaneously readying itself for the high-octane Rebels.
Ole Miss (5-0, 1-0 SEC) is riding high off a 22-19 victory over No. 7 Kentucky in Oxford, Mississippi. That allowed the Rebels to enter the top 10 in the national rankings and remain undefeated.
Vanderbilt and Ole Miss have played 96 previous times in one of the Commodores’ more closely-contested rivalries. The Rebels have won three in a row.
Here is more on how to watch, listen to and follow Saturday’s contest as well as five key matchups to consider when the Commodores face the Rebels:
When: 3 p.m. Saturday
Location: FirstBank Stadium (40,350)
Television: SEC Network
Broadcast Crew
Drew Carter (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sideline)
Channel Finder
AT&T | Xfinity | DISH | Comcast
Streaming
Available via WatchESPN
Vanderbilt Sports Network from Learfield
Announcers: Andrew Allegretta (play-by-play), Norman Jordan (analyst), Kevin Ingram (sideline)
On-Air Time: 2 p.m.
Affiliates: Nashville WQZQ 93.3 FM; Chattanooga WALV 95.3 FM; Lewisburg WJJM 1490 AM, 94.3 FM; Memphis WMPS 1210 AM, 103.1 FM
Satellite: SiriusXM 190; SiriusXM online 961
Social
Twitter: @VandyFootball and @VandyNotes
Instagram: @VandyFootball
Facebook: @VanderbiltFootball
Streaming Audio
Vanderbilt Athletics App (Free)
Weather
66 degrees at kickoff, zero percent chance of rain
1. Stop. The. Run.
Sometimes it’s easy to make things a bit more difficult than they have to be. Such is the case for Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Let us keep it simple: The Commodores must figure out a way to, at the very least, slow down the Rebels’ fifth-ranked rushing attack which averages 261.8 yards per game. Ole Miss uses tempo, a bevy of running backs and its quarterback to moves the chains and eat up yardage at an alarming rate.
Vandy was able to hold the Rebels to 139 yards rushing in 2021 in 31-17 loss, a result which came about more so do to the Commodores’ offensive shortcomings than its defensive game plan. But if Vanderbilt is able to follow a similar playbook Saturday it will give itself a chance to be victorious.
If it lets the Rebels run wild it will become a long afternoon quickly.