Mississippi defensive back Cody Prewitt (25) returns an interception for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. (Photo/Thomas Graning)
One thing the Rebel defense has been known for this season is having the prowess and instincts of a “landshark.”
The swarming to the ball when a defender sees it in sight and the fierce hitting that gives a team confidence is how the Rebel defense makes its name known.
Senior safety Cody Prewitt is the embodiment of the Rebel defense and the motor that makes the unit go.
Prewitt has made a name for himself ever since he started for the Rebels, but a strong statement was made Saturday against Texas A&M. Prewitt recorded seven tackles and intercepted sophomore Aggie quarterback Kenny Hill near the beginning of the second quarter and took it 75 yards for the defensive touchdown. It was the 11th interception for Prewitt in his career and his first for a touchdown.
The “landshark” mentality is something the defense has been building on for years. Prewitt is the prime example of what the “landshark” is about and feels pride in it.
“It’s the spirit of our defense. We really try to live up to the landshark defense persona and running to the ball and being fast,” Prewitt said. “That’s just us trying to be us. One thing coaches don’t have to worry about is our effort. We’re always going to go out there and play passionate football.”
Before the game against Texas A&M, the most points the defense gave up in a game this season was 17 points in the win over Alabama. The Rebels surrendered 20 points to the Aggie offense, which averages almost 44 points per game— pretty good for sixth in the country.
Many considered the performance against Texas A&M another terrific outing for the defense.
Not Prewitt.
“That was aggravating for us. We really want to be the number one defense in the nation,” Prewitt said. “Letting them get 20 points on us, it’s not that they didn’t earn it. They earned it, and they’re a really good team. That’s one thing we take upon ourselves. We have a couple more games to prove ourselves and to show people we are the defense we think we are.”
Creating turnovers and converting them into points is something the defense also takes pride in. The “landshark” defense has four defensive touchdowns, tied for third in the country, and 12 interceptions, tied for second in the country.
The way the defense attacks the football and aggressiveness of trying to force turnovers is something Prewitt wanted to do when he came to Ole Miss.
“At the beginning of the season, that was absolutely our goal,” Prewitt said. “We made it a point every game that our biggest concern was to create turnovers. That’s just us executing the coaches’ game plan. Our coaches do a great job of putting us in the right place and allowing us to be in a place to be given opportunities and us taking advantage of them.”
Prewitt has seen the defense change drastically since his freshman year, where the Rebels went 2-10 for the season under Houston Nutt. Prewitt started four games his freshman year and started every game his sophomore year in 2012. 2013 was Prewitt’s breakout season, where he recorded 71 tackles and six interceptions.
This season could be the best for Prewitt as he leads an undefeated Rebel team into homecoming week against Tennessee. Prewitt reflected on the changes he’s seen since 2011.
“It’s really crazy to see how far we’ve come. When we all came in, we talked about wanting to be a great program and seeing the success that we are having and for people to be taking notice of us being a dominant defense is really special, and it means a lot to me,” Prewitt said. “For me, that is something special that we can’t let go of. We have to be prideful of that and keep this going.”
