The Mercedes-Benz Stadium will play host to a Monday night college football clash between the Louisville Cardinals and the Ole Miss Rebels. Louisville returns eight starters from an offense that ranked fourth in the ACC with 444 yards per game and scored 29.5 points on average. QB Malik Cunningham threw for 2,600 yards and 12 touchdowns, but turned the ball over 15 times.
The Cardinals finished a surprising fourth in the conference in total defense last season and now must replace six starts. C.J. Avery is the only returning starter at linebacker and led Louisville with 79 tackles in 2020.
The Ole Miss Rebels finished last season by winning four of their final five games, with their only loss coming at LSU by a 53-48 final score. QB Matt Corral directed a high-octane offense that ranked third nationally in yards (556 ypg) and scored 39 points per contest. Four starters return on an offensive line that will open up plenty of holes for running backs Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Connor.
For head coach Lane Kiffin to keep his program on a positive trajectory, he must find a way to fix a defense that was gashed for 519 yards and 38 points per game. The Rebels were impressive in a 26-20 bowl victory against Indiana and return all four starters in the secondary.
