Saturday’s game against Memphis was a long time coming for Eugene Brazley. The redshirt junior had previously lost a season to a torn ACL and run well against smaller teams multiple times in his Rebel career, but his time against larger schools was limited. Brazley showed flashes of his speed and agility in those smaller games, but on the big stage he’d yet to breakout and have a dominant performance.
Eugene Brazley dodges a tackle from a Memphis defender before running in for a touchdown. (Photo by: Ariel Cobbert)
Brazley had been buried on the depth chart in a crowded Ole Miss backfield, but with the running back position sorely depleted by injuries and the ineligibility of Jordan Wilkins, Brazley was finally able to get his chance against the Tigers and help the Rebels avoid being upset by Memphis for the second season in a row.
On a day where the Rebels rushed for 263 yards and four touchdowns total, Brazley was responsible for 124 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries.
“It just felt like it was a blessing. Just being patient, being humble and praying up and God just delivered it for me and I just took off from there,” Brazley said.
Head Coach Hugh Freeze said he felt that the gameplan worked in favor of Brazley’s rushing style, as he provided more speed than senior Akeem Judd’s balanced style.
“We worked really hard on a plan to rush the ball against these guys,” Freeze said. “They do a lot of different stuff, so you can always be one play behind against them because they’re so multiple in what they do. And so we worked very hard with just a checks system that would get us hopefully into the soundest play them, and what we ended up getting, Eugene is a little better at probably, he’s a little more patient and has a little bit more of a burst once he hits that crease. Man I’m excited for him, he’s a great kid and he’s kind of waited his turn.”
Late in the fourth quarter, the Rebels needed to put the game away but were stuck in a third-and-15 situation. Brazley took the carry and not only got the 15 yards but took it all the way to the endzone for a 32-yard touchdown.
“It was great blocking, and it was just being patient and reading the holes and once you see it you just have to hit it,” Brazley said.
“There were a couple plays that I thought he was going to get run down and he just outran guys and made some really big huge runs, especially on the third-and-long, for him to pop that thing to put the game out of reach. That was huge,” Offensive Coordinator Dan Werner said.
Despite having a career-best performance, Brazley was quick to shift the focus to the other players involved in the Rebels’ 48-28 victory.
“It wasn’t just me, it was all the offense; the O-Line, the coaches had a good game plan. We practiced all weekend and through the week,” Brazley said. “We planned this, so we won the game during the week, not just on Saturday.”
