Staff Predictions: Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss Football – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football says it's getting closer to winning in the SEC, but is it?
Well, it's time for it to prove it Saturday as heavy underdogs against Ole Miss. Vanderbilt could swing its season with a Saturday win, but could fall into a tough spot if it drops a third-straight game. It doesn't appear to think a win is out of arms' reach Saturday, but can it do it?
Here's our staff predictions in regard to the outcome of Saturday's game.
Perhaps the score may not be this high if it becomes a game where the weather plays a significant role. But if it doesn’t, this should be a game where both offenses will have the ability to score. Ole Miss has an explosive offense with plenty of weapons, while Vanderbilt can expose the Ole Miss run defense. But there will come a point in the game where Vanderbilt won’t be able to keep up with Ole Miss. The Commodores will lose their third in a row
The weather will be a big factor Saturday and Vanderbilt’s offense hasn’t proven that it can find a way to put up big numbers against an SEC opponent yet. The route for Vanderbilt to win is bending but not breaking defensively, but Ole Miss’ offense is more explosive and reliable than Vanderbilt’s and that could be the difference in the game.
It feels like Vanderbilt is getting closer to a breakthrough and Ole Miss’ unreliability leaves the door open for a Vanderbilt win, but Ole Miss is more talented and is a better bet to score consistently than Vanderbilt at this point. This score feels a bit lofty considering the weather, but Ole Miss’ offense should be able to do what it wants to for the most part and its defense could leave Vanderbilt with some gaps that it can take advantage of. If Vanderbilt’s going to win, it’s got to keep it significantly lower scoring than this and it’s got to get the run game going in a way it hasn’t thus far. It’s also got to avoid the big mistake. That’s all possible for Vanderbilt, but it’s been too unreliable to predict a win thus far. 
Vanderbilt came out of Athens with a loss, but its performance there was encouraging enough that a home upset isn’t out of the question. I’m expecting a gritty, low-scoring game shaped heavily by the weather. To pull it off, the Commodores will likely need to control time of possession and win the turnover battle. In the end, though, I think a hungry Ole Miss team coming off back-to-back SEC losses will be too much to overcome.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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