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Ole Miss vs. Mercer: 2023 SEC football Week 1 game preview, prediction

By Keith Holt

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - SEPTEMBER 24: head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels reacts during the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - SEPTEMBER 24: head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels reacts during the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) /
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On Saturday, Lane Kiffin will begin his fourth season as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels.  Starting the season off ranked #22 in the nation, the team welcomes the Mercer Bears of the FCS to Oxford, MS. Kiffin hopes to bounce back from a 2022 season that started strong and then fell completely off a cliff. The Rebels started the season off 7-0 and then finished 1-5 including a 42-25 loss to Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl.

The Bears of Mercer were 7-4 in 2022 and have already started the 2023 campaign with a 17-7 win over North Alabama. Even though a win in Oxford seems unlikely for Mercer as they come into the game as underdogs, the Rebels will use this as an opportunity to get several players’ reps as the season begins and some position battles settle themselves.

Ole Miss will be an experienced team this season as it is returning 13 starters from last season’s campaign. The offense will have the most experience with 8 players back from last year. The team returns star running back Quinshon Judkins who led the SEC in rushing last season with 1,567 yards on the ground along with a conference-leading 16 touchdowns. Jaxson Dart appears to be the man taking the snaps under center again.

Kiffin will use this week to get the kinks out and see if he can find a pass catcher to replace last year’s leading receiver Malik Heath who is now a member of the Green Bay Packers. After this game the Rebels have a strong run ahead of them that features #24 Tulane, Georgia and SEC West powerhouses Alabama and LSU. So they will need to hit the ground running Saturday as they prepare for these early season tests.

Ole Miss vs Mercer Prediction

The Rebels will be too much for their FCS opponent and will give the fans of a good show in Oxford on Saturday. Prediction: Ole Miss 49 Mercer 7 

Where to Watch 

The game will be available on ESPN+ on September 2nd at 2:00pm.

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