Texas A&M brings NFL caliber roster to Oxford with Rebels slightly favored

Head coach Lane Kiffin did not mince words in his weekly press conference discussing the Texas A&M Aggies who will kickoff against Ole Miss on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.

Kiffin said the roster is NFL caliber with a possible SEC Player of the Year in linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. Last season, the Rebels eeked out a 31-28 win in College Station, and Kiffin said this year would be even tougher.

In 2022, the Aggies opened up a 14-7 lead in the first quarter only to see the Rebels build a 24-14 lead by the start of the fourth quarter. Ole Miss relied heavily on Quinshon Judkins that day who topped 200 yards rushing while quarterback Jaxson Dart threw three touchdowns in the win.

Both teams seem to be in a better place comparably to 2022 with Ole Miss still in the SEC Western Division race and a possible New Year’s Six bowl in the mix. Texas A&M has a chance to get back to bowl eligibility with a win Saturday and likely two more wins still left on its schedule facing Mississippi St. and Abilene Christian at Kyle Field.

There’s also the small nugget of information that Jimbo Fisher has not beated Lane Kiffin in the last two games these two teams have played. Now maybe that is huge motivation for a coaching staff to get its team focused and locked in, but for the Rebels, its fate is still absolutely in its own hands.

This week of prep will be huge for this team that seems to have come together in October. It has won ugly games at home and on the road, and it’s put away a bad Vanderbilt with relative ease.

Now comes the most important two week stretch in the last few years. All the 1-0 mantra and vibes you can muster folks.