Memphis Ole Miss Spread, Line & NCAA Football Picks
August 28, 2008
On Saturday, August 30th at 7 PM EST the Memphis Tigers and the Ole Miss Rebels will kick off their 2008 seasons down in Oxford, Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. This game marks the first for Houston Nutt on the sidelines at Ole MIss, after having previously coached at Arkansas for 10 years. Coach Nutt will have a lot of work to do to turn around a Rebel team that was 14-32 from 2004 to 2007 and is coming off a 3-9 mark last year. Ole Miss has gotten off to good starts though, winning 11 of their last 12 openers, the last three of which came against this same Memphis team. Memphis ended their 2007 season with a 44-27 embarrassment at the hands of Florida Atlantic, dropping the Tigers to 7-6. Ole Miss has dominated this matchup, going 45-10 all-time including wins in 12 of the last 16 matchups. Those numbers are a big reason that JustBet oddsmakers have set the Memphis Ole MIss line at -7.5 for the home team.
The Tigers offense could struggle out of the gate due to the loss of both their quarterback and top tailback from a year ago. Arkelon Hall has the duty of trying to replace Martin Hawkin’s 3,000 passing yards from a year ago, but the good news is that the receiving corps is largely in tact. Curtis Steele will shoulder most of the load for the ground game, and has the type of speed that enables big plays to happen.
On defense it doesn’t get much worse that what Memphis was last year, when they gave up 32.2 ppg and allowed teams to run for more than 230 ypg. With three starters coming back to their front line, expect those numbers to improve. A healthy Greg Jackson coming back to play linebacker after missing most of 2007 will also help this team make some plays. The problem for the Tigers over the last several years though has been the play of the secondary, but Brandon Patterson is hoping to change that. He did have 77 tackles a year ago. If you think Memphis getting +7.5 for a betting line is worth a bet, then place your action at JustBet!
Ole Miss struggled offensively a year ago, and now they get the privilege of breaking in a new quarterback in Jevan Snead. Snead is a sophomore who transferred over from Texas, where he didn’t get much playing time behind Colt McCoy. The good news is that he will have his two top receivers returning to the wideout spot and Cordera Eason running the ball. Remember, last year this team was 104th in scoring and 91st in scoring offense, so they don’t have to improve much for it to be called drastic.
Like Memphis, Ole Miss had a real tough time stopping the run a year ago when they allowed 199 ypg on the ground. Those problems will likely continue with starting defensive end Greg Hardy sidelined for the next six to eight weeks with a right foot injury. One of the leaders of the defense will be Ashlee Palmer at linebacker, who had 89 tackles and three picks as a junior. The other leader is safety Jamarca Sanford, who has started three straight years and brings plenty of experience to the table. If you think Ole Miss can cover the 7.5 point spread then bet the game at JustBet!
Predicted Score:
Ole Miss 30
Memphis 23
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