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It would be nice to be able to find something -- anything -- comforting to say to Vanderbilt fans. But it's hard. There are a few things that could provide some small window for hope, of course. Teams are usually never quite as bad as they look in first-game losses, Ole Miss really didn't overpower Boise State as much as it outlasted the Broncos, take away the seven turnovers and maybe Vanderbilt could have given Temple a game.
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But a question still lingers: If Vanderbilt allowed Temple to score 37 points, how much are they going to give up to Bo Wallace and Co.?
Part of that depends on which Bo Wallace we get, or whether there even are two Bo Wallaces. It's becoming increasingly likely that Wallace is exactly what he's shown us so far: an incredibly erratic passer with the ability to win and lose games for Ole Miss, sometimes almost simultaneously. Over his first two seasons in the SEC, Wallace's touchdown-to-interception ratio against conference teams was a perfectly even 20-20. He does have eight rushing touchdowns on top of that, something that should be taken into account, but Wallace's arm has been just as likely to harm the Rebels as help them in SEC games.
At least Ole Miss has a set quarterback. Vanderbilt's rotation of Patton Robinette, Stephen Rivers and Johnny McCrary was uninspiring or even dreadful against Temple last week, matching the three picks that Wallace threw against Boise State -- only the Vanderbilt trio didn't throw the four touchdowns (or any touchdowns) and didn't come close to the 387 yards Wallace piled up. The Commodores' running game was ineffective, and it's hard to fairly assess a defense when your offense keeps giving the other team the football.
Upsets are always possible, of course, and Vanderbilt is still an SEC team on some level. The Commodores will presumably try hard tonight to make everyone forget about what happened last week against Temple. But until they do, that result is all anyone is going to be able to see.
Game Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Radio: Ole Miss | Vanderbilt
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Brandon's prediction: Ole Miss 35, Vanderbilt 14