Mississippi players prepare to take the field before the first half of an NCAA college football game against Memphis in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. (Photo/Thomas Graning)
Ole Miss got a tough win against the Memphis Tigers on Saturday with a final score of 24-3. Despite how lopsided the score seems, the game remained close until the fourth quarter, and the Rebel defense carried the team throughout the game.
The defense was able to hold a Memphis offense, which had gained a total of 469 yards against 11th ranked UCLA to just 104 total yards in the game, and only three first downs.
“I’m extremely proud of our defense; I don’t know if we’ve had a better effort than that in our two-and-a-half years here,” head coach Hugh Freeze said. “They were really phenomenal, and that’s against a team that’s been putting up some really good numbers.”
Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack was also pleased with the defense’s performance.
“We were dominating up front. Our linebackers played good, and secondary was in the right position most of the night,” Wommack said. “We did some really good things.”
Wommack explicated on the performance and gave some insight into how his defense was able to shut down such a dangerous offense.
“We were able to put in a couple of packages we hadn’t run so far this year, and I think that caused some problems for them,” Wommack said. “We just threw some new wrinkles in there, and that helped.”
One of the big plays for the Rebels’ defense was junior safety Trae Elston’s interception of a tipped pass that he ran 47 yards back to the Memphis 33-yard line.
“It just popped in my hands,” Elston said. “I was a little fatigued on that play. I just gave it all we could, and I’m glad Memphis turned the ball over.”
In the previous games, the Rebels’ pass defense had been strong, but teams had found some success running the ball against them with Vanderbilt and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette racking up 180 and 193 rushing yards respectively. It was the polar opposite against Memphis as the Ole Miss defense completely stifled the run game, allowing only 23 yards on 31 attempts.
“We were fitting our gaps, flying to the ball,” senior safety Cody Prewitt said. “We had a lot of energy, and we were running to the ball and hitting as much as we could. That’s what gave us so much success against the run.”
Junior linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche also talked about what the defense did to stop the Tiger’s offense.
“We were flying around, doing our job, being in the right place and making the plays we’re supposed to make,” Nkemdiche said.
The defense playing so well was huge for the Rebels victory as the offense struggled for most of the game.
Senior quarterback Bo Wallace turned the ball over three times. Freshman wide receiver Markell Pack muffed a punt that was recovered by the Tigers, and the Rebels missed a pair of field goals.
Freeze gave much of the credit for the offense’s lackluster performance to the strong play of the Memphis defense but also felt that his offense made too many mistakes.
“We certainly didn’t help ourselves offensively with our turnovers and negative plays that were created, but some of that credit does go to them. We obviously have to play better on that side of the football, and we have to make field goals when we get a chance,” Freeze said.
The Rebels’ special teams struggles started when freshman kicker Gary Wunderlich was ejected in the first quarter for fighting, leaving the Rebels without their normal kicker for long field goals. Senior kicker Andrew Fletcher, who handles the extra point and short field goal duties for the Rebels, converted on a 19-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but struggled earlier on when attempting longer field goals. Fletcher missed a 40-yard try, as well as a 43-yard attempt.
“I was shocked when they said Gary was ejected; that’s maybe the first time I’ve had a kicker ejected,” Freeze said. “That 43-44-yard field goal we missed would have been him.”
The offense did have its bright spots, however, as sophomore wide receiver Laquon Treadwell had his biggest game of the season so far, catching five passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Treadwell has typically seen a lot of double teams this season but got more single coverage looks this game.
“If Laquon gets one-on-one coverage, he’s gonna have a chance to make some plays, and that was good to see,” Freeze said.
Running back Jaylen Walton also played well, getting 78 yards on just 10 carries, including a 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to extend the Rebels’ lead.
Freeze summed up his thoughts on the overall performance.
“I’m very, very excited to be 4-0, and I’m really proud of our guys tonight for battling all the way through,” Freeze said.
