Ad Disclosure
Report Card: Ole Miss offense good, defense great in win over Texas A&M
By Ethan Levine
Published:
OFFENSE: B
Ole Miss did everything it needed to do in a 35-point performance on offense, but the Rebels also left some room for improvement. The good: the run game had one of its most productive outings of the season, amassing 160 yards and two touchdowns against the Aggies, and the offense committed zero turnovers, marking Bo Wallace’s second straight turnover-free game. The bad: Ole Miss was just 2-of-10 on third downs, and the Rebels passed for a mere 178 yards on just 13 completions. All in all, the offense did enough to keep Ole Miss in front from start to finish, and it played an above-average game, earning a B for the day.
DEFENSE: A
The Ole Miss defense was dominant in shutting down the SEC’s best offense Saturday night in College Station. The Rebels held Texas A&M to 27 points below its season average, and A&M’s final six points came on a garbage time touchdown as time expired. Ole Miss allowed three touchdowns to the Aggies after allowing just three touchdowns in its first five games combined, but it also recorded three more turnovers in the win, turning two of those turnovers into 14 points. When a defense nearly outscores the SEC’s best offense on its own, it’s a feat worthy of an A, and that’s exactly the grade the Ole Miss defense earned on Saturday.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B-
Like the offense, the Rebels’ special teams had their good moments and bad moments. Ole Miss was able to return two kickoffs for an average of nearly 30 yards per return, setting up the offense with great field position to begin both drives. Punter Will Gleeson landed all five of his seven punts inside the 20, and did not bail the Aggies out with a touchback once on the night. The Rebels didn’t miss a single field goal all game (because they didn’t attempt one) and kicker Gary Wunderlich was a perfect 5-of-5 on PATs. However, the Rebels also allowed A&M’s Speedy Noil to return three kickoffs for an average of more than 20 yards apiece, and two punts for nearly 10 yards per return. They also allowed A&M to down two punts inside their own 10 yard line, although it didn’t stop the Rebels offense from putting forth a productive outing. Special teams didn’t cost the Rebels, but they didn’t help the cause either, earning a modest B- for the game.
COACHING: A
Hugh Freeze’s team could have suffered a letdown following a huge win over Alabama last week, but he kept his team focused throughout the week and never allowed the Rebels to be overwhelmed by the circumstances. Playing in front of more than 110,000 fans is not an easy task, especially in the wake of the biggest win in school history, but Freeze has his Ole Miss team playing as the aggressor on Saturday, which is a testament to his command over the program. Ole Miss has improved with each game, and every decision Freeze made Saturday night seemed to work out in his favor as the Rebels controlled the game from start to finish. The head coach could not have prepared his team any better for a difficult road test, and he deserves an A for his efforts.
OVERALL: A+
The Rebels have now beaten top 15 opponents in back to back weeks, and the win over A&M was as convincing as any Ole Miss win this season, including games against Vanderbilt and UL Lafayette. The Rebels did not merely win this game, they dominated it from start to finish. Ole Miss could have played better in certain areas of the game, but it played better than A&M in every area of Saturday’s contest. The Aggies may be overrated following an opening night win over now-faltering South Carolina, but that should not cheapen Ole Miss’ dominant performance in front of a national audience. The Rebels sent the SEC’s largest crowd ever home early Saturday night, earning a resounding A+ for their efforts in improving to 6-0 on the season.
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.
