Mississippi-Florida St Capsule
Monday
No. 11 Mississippi (10-3 last season) vs. No. 4 Florida State (10-3) in Orlando, Florida, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Florida State by 5.
Series Record: Ole Miss leads 1-0.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
With 17 returning starters, Florida State would like to show that the early expectations of being a College Football Playoff contender are valid. Ole Miss lost 14 starters off last year's team but has one of the nation's top quarterbacks in Chad Kelly, who threw for 4,042 yards last season which was the third-most in SEC history.
KEY MATCHUP
Ole Miss LT Rod Taylor vs. Florida State DE DeMarcus Walker. Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 329-pound junior is getting his fifth career start but first at left tackle. The previous four were at right guard. Walker, a 6-4, 280-pound senior, had 10.5 sacks last season and could get more rushing opportunities due to the emergence of sophomore LB Josh Sweat.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Mississippi: WR Quincy Adeboyejo. The senior was second on the team in receptions (38) and yards (604) with seven touchdowns last season. His 15.9 yards per catch were seventh in the SEC.
Florida State: RB Dalvin Cook. Set a single-season school rushing record with 1,691 yards last season. The junior tied for the FBS lead last year with 22 carries of 20 yards or more.
FACTS & FIGURES
QB Deondre Francois is the fourth freshman in Florida State history to start an opener. The last was Jameis Winston, who led the Seminoles to a national title in 2013. ... Florida State is 8-0-2 in games played in Orlando, including 5-0-1 in regular-season games. ... This is the first time Ole Miss has played a game in Orlando. ... The Rebels are 3-3 under coach Hugh Freeze against teams ranked in the top five. ... In neutral-site openers, the Seminoles are 8-1 and have won their last seven. The Rebels have played only one, defeating Boise State 35-13 in Atlanta in 2014.
---
AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org