For the first time since joining the SEC, the Ole Miss Rebels will have their chance to defeat the Texas Longhorns this season. In their debut season in the conference, Texas finished as the SEC runner-ups and made it to the College Football semifinal before losing to Ohio State.

The following year saw the Longhorns lose three games and miss out on the CFP. The Rebels will have a big opportunity on October 24th to get a big road win.

Few teams can beat Texas at DKR-Memorial Stadium. But on the field, there are some things that the Longhorns excel at.

Texas Can Rush the Passer at an Elite Level

Texas can get after the quarterback. Last season, the defense recorded 41 sacks, which was third in the SEC. Ole Miss ranked seventh in the conference with 33. The Rebels also lost their sack leader, Princewill Umanmielen, who transferred to LSU.

Meanwhile, Sarkisian was able to retain his best pass rusher in Colin Simmons. He recorded 12 sacks and three forced fumbles last season. Simmons is primed to have a monster season and could be one of the conference's best defensive players. The Rebels' offensive line will have to focus on controlling Simmons as much as they can.

They also added Arkansas transfer Ian Geffrard, and sophomore Lance Jackson is expected to have an elevated role. The Rebels did a good job at protecting Trinidad Chambliss last season, but they'll have a tall task with this Texas defensive line.

The Longhorns Created a Lot of Turnovers Last Season

Last season, Texas finished with 16 interceptions, which was second in the conference. That's nearly double what Ole Miss had (9). The Longhorns lost a couple of key secondary players, including Michael Taafe and Malik Muhammad. However, Jelani McDonald, the team's interception leader, is back. They also retained Graceson Littleton, who recorded a pair of interceptions last year.

Texas brought in former Rutgers defensive back Bo Mascoe, but the rest of the secondary room is young. It'll be interesting to see how this defense translates under new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Regardless, Chambliss will have to be careful against this Longhorns secondary.

The Rebels will have a new-look defense with possibly seven transfers occupying starting roles. There are a lot of elite offenses in the SEC, so hopefully, Pete Golding's defense can make steady improvements to help out the offense. This game could be a shootout, and the winner of the turnover battle could be the deciding factor.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.