This confusing season of up-and-down Ole Miss football has seen some highs in recent weeks following Jordan Ta’amu’s takeover at quarterback after Shea Patterson suffered a season-ending knee injury. An arguably more effective offense under Ta’amu is currently No. 16 in total offense and No. 6 in passing offense nationally.
After a rout in which the Rebels chalked up 50 points against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns, the offense looks to continue this hot streak at home against SEC opponent Texas A&M. Of the chaos Ole Miss has encountered in 2017, its bowl ban is perhaps the most unfortunate aspect. The ban guarantees this will be not only the last home game of the Rebels’ season but also the last game in red and blue for the 18 rostered seniors.
Among those seniors is running back Jordan Wilkins, who continues to play a role in this increasingly hot offense. After the run game struggled for legitimacy throughout the season’s early weeks, Wilkins fired up during the dreadful 66-3 loss at Alabama. Since Week 4, he has tallied 814 total yards from scrimmage and five rushing touchdowns. For Wilkins, the bowl ban is not on his mind as he looks forward to Saturday.
“I want to go out with a big one,” he said. “For all the seniors and the coaches, we’ll be ready. Not going to try to think about, you know, this being the last one too much, just go out and play my game and don’t overthink it and just be comfortable out there.”
While the offense is hanging with the very best in the country, the Rebel defense is pretty low on the NCAA ladder. Throughout the season, an inability to limit big gains, struggle to stop the run, penalties and lack of discipline have haunted the gritty group.
However, this defense has shown flashes of greatness that make Ole Miss a volatile group to watch. A turnover on downs or forced fumble could precede a 70-yard touchdown run or a progress-erasing penalty. Among this inconsistent group is consistently dominant defensive end Marquis Haynes.
Haynes’ authoritative defensive play shows that — he has recorded 7 ½ sacks, 39 tackles and a forced fumble in only nine of 10 games. For the senior captain, this emotional weekend is an opportunity to shine in his final outing in front of his home crowd.
“I’ve been talking to most of the seniors, and we know what this means to us and how much we fought through to get here,” he said. “It’s emotional for some of us because we want to give it our all and make sure we leave the team the right way and make sure we leave a positive influence and a high standard for the seniors coming in behind us. Everyone wants to do good for coach Luke.”
In what could be the defining moments for head coach Matt Luke’s future at Ole Miss, the seniors and the rest of the team will be looking to put on a superstar performance. The final home game of a whirlwind season kicks off at 6 p.m. this Saturday and comes against a quality Texas A&M team.
