Ad Disclosure
Rapid Reaction: Ole Miss coasts past Presbyterian in final non-conference game
By Ethan Levine
Published:
A few quick thoughts on Ole Miss’ convincing 48-0 win over Presbyterian on Saturday afternoon.
What it means: Keeping in mind the caliber of Ole Miss’ opponent Saturday, the Rebels’ victory means they should be back on track for the final stretch of the regular season. Ole Miss needed a convincing win to move past gut-wrenching losses to LSU and Auburn the last two weeks, and it earned one at home against Presbyterian on Saturday. The Rebels went ahead early and never looked back, and the team appears to have its groove back heading into next week’s open date.
What I liked: The team’s sense of urgency despite facing the lone FCS foe on its schedule. Ole Miss could have taken this game lightly and coasted to a less impressive victory against Presbyterian. Instead, the Rebels jumped out to a lead in the first two minutes of the game and never looked back, scoring five touchdowns in the first half alone, three of which came on plays of 60 yards or longer. The Rebels were in desperate need of a bounce-back victory, and they earned one with a fast start and dominant finish against the Blue Hose on Saturday.
What I didn’t like: The Rebels played a near-flawless game against the Blue Hose, but they struggled mightily in the kicking game on Saturday. Ole Miss turned to Andy Pappanastos to attempt his first field goal of the season midway through the first quarter, and he pushed the kick wide right to leave points on the field. The Rebels attempted another field goal in the third quarter, this time turning to veteran kicker Andrew Fletcher to attempt the kick from 37 yards out. However, Fletcher’s kick was blocked and recovered by Presbyterian in Ole Miss territory. To cap off the disastrous day, the Rebels pushed a fourth quarter extra point wide of the uprights following their last touchdown of the day. None of those kicks impacted the final result, but the Rebels cannot afford this kind of dysfunction in their kicking game when they close out their SEC West schedule later this month.
Who’s the man: Vince Sanders was the man against the Blue Hose, stepping into Laquon Treadwell’s role as the No. 1 wideout on the offense. Sanders took a short completion 66 yards for a touchdown on the second play from scrimmage, then took another completion 23 yards for a touchdown later in the first quarter to extend the Rebels’ lead. The senior broke multiple tackles on both touchdowns to assert himself as an explosive playmaker capable of keeping the passing game afloat the rest of the season. If Sanders can turn routine completions into big plays in the Rebels’ final two SEC contests later this month they’ll have a great chance to win both games.
Key Play: Sanders’ two first half touchdowns could have qualified as the “Key Plays” of Saturday’s win, but in the interest of spreading the wealth the nod goes to tailback Mark Dodson, who also scored a pair of first half touchdowns in the victory. Dodson carried the ball just three times in the first half but amassed 128 yards on those three carries, including touchdown runs of 65 and 62 yards. The tailback was explosive through the first level of the defense, then showed breakaway speed to blow past the second and third levels on his way to his pay dirt. For context’s sake, Dodson hadn’t rushed for more than 27 yards in any game this season before Saturday’s win.
What’s next: The Rebels will enjoy their final bye of the season next week before closing the regular season with a pair of SEC West contests. Ole Miss will return from its open date for a road test against Arkansas on Nov. 22 followed by a home showdown with Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 29.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
