Ole Miss had a routine win against Vanderbilt Saturday night, beating the Commodores 33-7 on its way to a 7th win.

Lane Kiffin has led the Rebels to a strong season so far, but he knows better than anyone that you can’t get comfortable at the end of the season. Last year, Ole Miss started the season 8-1 before losing its final 3 games and its bowl game. With a tough November slate ahead, the Rebels will need to keep their foot on the gas moving forward.

If Ole Miss can continue having games like Saturday’s, it should be in good shape in the coming games.

Player of the Week: Quinshon Judkins

Quinshon Judkins didn’t need to have a dominant gave for Ole Miss to get past Vanderbilt, but he did.

Judkins had 100+ rushing yards in 8 games last season for the Rebels. His production has slowed up a little bit this season, but on Saturday he reminded Ole Miss fans why he is so special.

Judkins put together a 124-yard, 2-touchdown performance against the Commodores, averaging more than 7 yards per carry on the night. It’s his 2nd game in a row with over 100 rushing yards and his 3rd this season.

Judkins is looking to make performances like his last 2 a common occurrence like they were last year.

Newcomer of the Week: Tre Harris

There weren’t many standouts when it comes to Ole Miss’ freshmen and newcomers on Saturday, but Tre Harris had another solid game and continued to prove himself as one of the Rebels best options on offense.

Harris, a transfer receiver from Louisiana Tech, put together a solid 67-yard performance, averaging 15 yards per reception and giving Vanderbilt lots to worry about on defense.

Harris’ first season in the SEC is going swimmingly. He’s notched 536 yards and 6 touchdowns on the year, and he’s not looking to slow down his production anytime soon.

Biggest surprise: Walter Taylor runs ramped

Vanderbilt pulled starting quarterback Ken Seals in the second quarter and handed the ball of to Walter Taylor.

Appearing in just his 3rd game ever for Vanderbilt, Taylor did not have success in the air, throwing for just 38 yards and an interception on 4-for-12 passing. But despite a lousy game through the air, Taylor found success on the ground game, picking up 59 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

Why was Taylor so successful on the ground? Lane Kiffin didn’t know who he was coming into the game.

Kiffin said in his postgame press conference that he hadn’t heard or prepared for Taylor, comparing the sophomore quarterback to Cam Newton. The Rebels were expecting one quarterback and got another, and it led to a solid running game from Taylor.

Biggest concern: Avoiding late collapse

Ole Miss has been in this situation before.

Last year the Rebels were 8-1 at the end of October, but a loss to Alabama sent the Rebels spiraling and they didn’t win another game on the season, dropping several games they should’ve won.

Luckily for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, this team has more experience and has faced more adversity. That experience should serve them well in getting through the November stretch.

Developing trend: Pass defense holding strong

Ole Miss’ pass defense has been locked in throughout the past 2 games.

The Rebels have given up less than 150 passing yards in back-to-back games, allowing just 122 against Auburn and giving up just 60 against Vanderbilt. Ole Miss’ ability to eliminate the air threat could be huge moving forward.

Next week, they will face another team that has not excelled passing the ball, so if the Rebels can combine their strong pass defense with some solid run defense, it will be a recipe for success.

Key stat: 7 TFLs

Ole Miss brought the pressure all night and didn’t give an inch. That kind of pressure on defense is what the Rebels will need when they play Texas A&m next week and Georgia the week after.

First impression about Week 10: vs. Texas A&M

Texas A&M has had its moments this season, proving to have a program that will see success soon, but the Aggies are still a season away from competing with the top teams in the SEC. They have proved that against Alabama and Tennessee.

Ole Miss is playing well right now, and the Aggies will have to go into the Grove and face a team that is looking for a revenge win. All that to say, Ole Miss should be able to handle business and head into the Georgia game with confidence and momentum on its side.