The Ole Miss Rebels were able to overcome sloppy play, penalties and multiple weather delays to hang on for a victory Saturday against the Kent State Golden Flashes, winning 38-17.

As has been the case in all four games this year, there’s plenty to improve upon. With that said, it wasn’t all bad, because they did win after all.

Here are five things I liked, and three things I didn’t like:

What I liked

  • The return of tight end Dawson Knox: After catching 24 passes for 321 yards as a sophomore last year, there were high expectations for Dawson Knox heading into 2018. Through the first three games of the season, however, Knox was practically a ghost, virtually invisible to quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, catching just one pass for 6 yards. In the second half against Kent State, he finally found his groove again, catching two balls for 79 yards, one for 45 yards and another for 34. With the amount of attention the receivers get in coverage, the Rebels would be wise to continue finding Knox down the seams, where his length and speed can stretch the middle of the field.
  • Spreading the ball around: The Rebels are at their best when they involve everyone in the passing game, and how well they do that is usually indicative of whether they win. Against Texas Tech in the season opener, they spread it around to five different pass catchers, and against Southern Illinois Ta’amu found seven different receivers. In their loss to Alabama, only three players caught passes. Granted, there was a lot more that went wrong that night than just the number of receivers catching passes, but there’s too much talent on offense to not capitalize upon a diverse group of skill players. Against Kent State, Ta’amu got back into a rhythm of finding different outlets, and got the ball to eight different receivers, averaging 11.6 yards per attempt.
  • Generating turnovers: If the Rebels defense is going to give themselves a fighting chance this year, they have to be able to generate turnovers. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that this not only takes the team weakness off the field, but it all inserts the team strength — its powerful offense —back onto the field. Plus, it’s great for momentum. Prior to the game with Kent State, the Rebels defense has generated five turnovers in the previous two games, and they continued that against the Golden Flashes, forcing two more. This has been one of the few bright spots defensively as of late.
  • Rushing attack continues to look good: Looks good against everybody not named Alabama, at least. Just like when Ta’amu spreads the ball around to numerous receivers, the offense really hums when there’s a reliable rushing attack to provide balance to the offense and take pressure off the passing game. Scottie Phillips was again reliable and effective on Saturday, particularly between the tackles, rushing for 112 yards on 19 carries (5.9 yards per carry) with a touchdown. The Rebels even found some help from freshman backup Tylan Knight, who ran for 62 yards on just 6 carries.
  • Finally, pressure from the front four: The defense has struggled mightily to generate any kind of pressure on the quarterback this year, especially from their front four. They’ve tried to combat this with various stunts and blitzes, but to little avail. Against Kent State, the Rebels pass rush finally found some teeth again, with their defensive line showing the ability to penetrate and collapse the pocket. Senior defensive end Markel Winters really had a big day and finished with three sacks. It’s an entirely different defense when they’re constantly pressuring the quarterback, because it not only allows more players to drop back into coverage but forces opposing throwers into mistakes and turnovers. This was a good day for the Rebels defensive line, and if they can continue playing like this, it would make a huge difference for the defense as a whole.

What I didn’t like

  • Ta’amu’s shoulder: It appeared that Ta’amu hurt his throwing shoulder in the first half when he went down on it wrong, something the broadcast crew would continue to comment on throughout the game. While it didn’t appear to drastically affect his velocity or accuracy on short and intermediate routes, his deep ball was noticeably off, with numerous balls being either overthrown or underthrown, and many not even coming close to the intended target. Hopefully, the injury, if there in fact is one, is minor and won’t linger into the future, because he’s one guy the Rebels can ill afford to lose for a prolonged period of time, at least if they want to try to stay competitive the rest of the season. True freshman Matt Corral has a bright future, but it would be unfair to thrust him into the starting lineup and expect him to play at a high level, despite all the talent at wide receiver.
  • Poor tackling, again: The defense simply can’t tackle at all, and it’s been one of primary catalysts for the poor defensive play throughout the year. Just when you think the Rebels either have someone at or behind the line of scrimmage, the opponent breaks free for a big gain. You can’t blame this on talent, either, simply because the technique is so poor. You can blame the lack of athleticism and speed on talent, but not fundamentals. They’re taking poor pursuit angles. They’re not wrapping up. They’re aiming too high. Missed tackles, particularly on third down and fourth down, extended numerous drives not only in this game, but in previous games as well. This has to be cleaned up if the defense is to improve.
  • Penalties, penalties, penalties: This is seriously becoming a major problem for the Rebels. Against Texas Tech they committed seven penalties for 49 yards. Against Southern Illinois, it was nine for 75 and against Alabama, it was eight flags for 67. The number of penalties were again a serious problem against Kent State, as the Rebels had eight penalties for 90 yards, including five in the first quarter alone. That’s completely unacceptable. It also cost the Rebels points against Kent State, with two touchdowns being called back. A number of the problems the Rebels have had this year are due to a lack of talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. But penalties have absolutely nothing to do with talent. It comes down entirely to discipline, or a lack thereof.