OXFORD − The Ole Miss football season has reached a crucial point early in its season.

After an upset loss at home to Kentucky, the No. 12 Rebels (4-1, 0-1 SEC) travel to play at South Carolina (3-1, 1-1) on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN).

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was cautious not to overreact to the tight loss, but his team faces a tough turnaround challenge. The Gamecocks are coming off an open week and beat Kentucky 31-6 in Week 2.

Here's what to watch for when Ole Miss plays South Carolina:

Will Jaxson Dart, Rebels' passing offense bounce back from season-low game?

After a red-hot start, the Ole Miss offense had season lows in almost every category last week.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart entered last week averaging a nation's-best 388 passing yards but was held to 261 against Kentucky. While receiver Tre Harris remained productive, the rest of the offense lagged.

South Carolina provides the first chance for Ole Miss' high-octane offense to find its level, but it won't be easy. The Gamecocks are fourth among SEC teams in passing yards allowed per game (160.8) and ninth in points allowed (17).

The Gamecocks hamper offenses with pressure off the edge. South Carolina edge rusher Kyle Kennard has 5.5 sacks this season, and combines with fellow edge rusher Dylan Stewart (2.5 sacks) to wreck drives in the backfield. Dart was sacked a season-high four times against Kentucky, but it was mostly due to pressure from up the middle of the line. The Gamecocks will offer a different test.

"Very different player types than last week," Kiffin said. "Polar opposite. And very different schemes, too ... they are more built on speed and twitch."

Can Ole Miss defense neutralize South Carolina's quarterback speed?

Regardless of who plays quarterback for South Carolina, Ole Miss' defense will have to deal with speed.

LaNorris Sellers, a redshirt quarterback who was named South Carolina's starter, didn't play two weeks ago against Akron. It didn't slow the Gamecocks. Backup senior quarterback Robby Ashford played well, racking up 243 passing yards and 133 rushing yards.

South Carolina's bye came at a good time and coach Shane Beamer said Sellers "looked good" in a midweek practice. Like his backup, Sellers is a dual-threat quarterback who can create chunk gains with his legs.

“I think that these guys have good weapons," Kiffin said. "Both guys present a challenge of ability to escape. Robby (Ashford) is obviously an elite runner and the issues that come with that. So this is gonna be a really big challenge for us.”

Despite South Carolina's uncertainty at quarterback, Ole Miss' defensive preparation has been largely unchanged.

"It's really not that hard once you dive into the concept of things," linebacker Chris Paul said. "If you go out there and let your rules apply I feel like we'll be pretty good."

Ole Miss transfer Juice Wells returns to South Carolina, his old school

Ole Miss' Juice Wells was abnormally quiet last week. He dropped a pass and had no receptions.

It's safe to assume Wells is hoping for improvement against South Carolina, his old school.

Wells played at South Carolina for the previous two seasons and, although his 2023 season was cut short due to injury. He played well enough to emerge as a star for the Gamecocks.

Wells' transfer to in-conference rival Ole Miss in the offseason has caused some anger. He is unlikely to get a warm welcome when introduced at Williams-Brice Stadium. He was not made available to media this week.

Ole Miss receiver Cayden Lee said he hasn't seen anything extra from Wells this week in practice.

"I feel like he's just had the same mindset since the summer," Lee said. "He's not going to do anything different. Just treat it like another game and we're all going to be ready for it."

Ole Miss vs Kentucky score prediction

Ole Miss 28, South Carolina 24: The Rebels aren't the perfect team that they operated as in the first four games of the season. While last week was a reality check, it also felt like Ole Miss' floor. Look for Dart to play better against the Gamecocks, especially on third down where Ole Miss converted just 10% of opportunities last week.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football vs South Carolina score prediction, scouting report