5 TAKEAWAYS

  • Running between the tackles – finally: For the first time in a meaningful game, Ole Miss ran effectively between the tackles. Jaylen Walton, Jordan Wilkins and Akeem Judd each gave the Aggies fits by getting past the first level of the defense. From there, the running backs were five yards downfield before they were challenged by the secondary. The Rebels rushed for 230 yards, most against any SEC this year.
  • Tackling better: After missing 18 tackles against Memphis last week, two days of getting-back-to-fundamentals paid off. The Rebels still did miss a few, but they did much better against Texas A&M, especially one-on-one.
  • Where have these guys been on third down?: Ole Miss converted eight third downs in the game. In the past few weeks, the Rebels’ primary problem on offense was staying on the field to sustain drives. That was obviously addressed by coach Hugh Freeze and his staff. Defensively, the Landsharks held Texas A&M to converting just 6-of-20. The Aggies were also 0-for-2 in fourth-down conversions.
  • Intimidation: There is more than one type of intimidation. Ole Miss did not physically throw the Aggies around, but the Rebels clearly got into their heads. A&M quarterback Kyle Allen was 0-for-13 passing in the third quarter. Many of those were because he appeared to be concerned about the Ole Miss pass rush. Aggie receivers started to get “alligator arms” as the Landshark secondary got more confidence as well.
  • Control: For the first time this year, Ole Miss seemed in control of a conference game. Even in the win against Alabama, the Rebels lost control of the game for awhile. When the game appeared to start to slip out of control Saturday, Ole Miss quickly seized the momentum back from the Aggies,

REPORT CARD

Offense: (A-). Ole Miss finally found the running attack that had been AWOL recently. The negative was two bad throws by Kelly. Change that, the negative was two stupid throws by Kelly that resulted in interceptions.

Defense: (A). The defense tackled better and that was a major step forward for the Landsharks. The front seven was solid, holding Texas A&M to just 58 yards rushing, 2.1 yards a try. It also pressured the quarterback causing the Aggies to complete only 18-of-45 for 134 yards. The secondary also blanketed receivers all night.

Special teams: (A). With the exception of a missed field goal and a roughing the punter penalty, Ole Miss was perfect. The Rebels may have found a new weapon as kicker Gary Wunderlich filled in for punter Will Gleeson later in the game. Wunderlich punted three times for 56 yard average and all three of his punts rolled dead inside the Aggies’ 20.

Overall: (A). How could the Rebels get any other grade after keeping Texas A&M out of the end zone? The running game came to life, the defense got the Aggies on the ground and Ole Miss may have had its most balanced conference game all year, including the win over Alabama.

GAME PLAN

If the play was to run the ball and control the clock, it was executed to perfection. Defensively, if it was to take Aggie star Christian Kirk away as a weapon, it was executed even better. Kirk caught just two passes, ran once for 2 yards and had one punt return for minus-4 yards.

GAME BALLS

  • The defensive front: Ole Miss found out during the afternoon that Robert Nkemdiche would not play. Instead of fretting, players like Channing Ward, Breeland Sparks and Marquis Haynes stepped up to lead the Landsharks.
  • Evan Engram: The junior caught four passes for 35 yards and his first touchdown of the season. But more importantly, he became the Ole Miss career leader in receiving by a tight end.
  • Laquon Treadwell: Treadwell became the first SEC player since South Carolina’s Sidney Rice in 2005 to have at least 100 yards receiving and a touchdown in three straight games. He grabbed five passes for 102 yards and a gorgeous 58-yard touchdown catch.
  • Gary Wunderlich: Not only did he shine punting the ball, he also was 2-of-3 in field goals and made both extra points.
  • The offensive line: Boosted by the return of Laremy Tunsil, the line opened holes for backs all night. Walton ran for 97 yards, Judd 68 and Wilkins 42 behind the front wall.

INJURY UPDATE

Robert Nkemdiche missed the game after suffering a concussion last week at Memphis.

OL Javon Patterson did play in a reserve role after being mentioned as a starter earlier in the week.

LB C.J. Johnson was back after a knee injury, but safety Tony Connor missed another game after tearing the meniscus in his knee in the Alabama game.

In a scary moment, OL Christian Morris was injured during the Rebs’ field goal as the first-half clock expired. He started off the field complaining about his neck and then collapsed. Morris was taken by ambulance to an Oxford hospital. The preliminary diagnosis was a herniated disc.