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Report Card: Ole Miss nearly earns straight-A’s in win vs. Presbyterian
By Ethan Levine
Published:
OFFENSE: A
The Ole Miss offense amassed 640 yards and 48 points in a lopsided victory, earning an obvious A for its performance against Presbyterian. The Rebels had only run for more than 180 yards once all season prior to Saturday’s win, but they ran for 402 yards and four touchdowns in their domination of the Blue Hose. Quarterback Bo Wallace only played the first half, but he still completed 11 of 15 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns. The Rebels scored five touchdowns in the first half and seven overall, and they scored four touchdowns of at least 60 yards for the game.
DEFENSE: A
The Rebels’ defense was as impressive as the offense in shutting out the Blue Hose. The Landshark defense hadn’t held a team scoreless all season until Saturday, and Presbyterian’s 156 yards of total offense are the fewest allowed by Ole Miss all season. The Rebels limited Presbyterian to just 10 completions for 67 yards and 36 carries for 89 yards (an average of just 2.5 yards per carry). Any way you look at it, the defense was in control from start to finish against an overmatched Blue Hose offense.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
The Rebels were 0-2 on field goal attempts and even missed an extra point in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s victory, earning the special teams a C in an otherwise fine showing against the Blue Hose. Andy Pappanastos pushed his first field goal attempts of the season (a 42-yarder) wide right in the first quarter, and missed an extra point in the fourth quarter to compound his struggles. Veteran Andrew Fletcher had a 37-yard attempt blocked in the third quarter, and by the time Presbyterian recovered the loose ball it was already in Ole Miss territory. The kicks did not impact the outcome of the game, but it was far and away the most glaring flaw in an otherwise brilliant performance by the Rebels.
COACHING: A
The Rebels had every reason to play uninspired football Saturday following back to back heartbreaking losses to LSU and Auburn the last two weeks, but Hugh Freeze and his staff found a way to inspire their team for an otherwise uninteresting matchup with an FCS opponent. The Rebels scored their first touchdown on the second play of the game, and played as fast and physical as they have all season in leaving those losses in the past. Motivating a frustrated team to play skilled, disciplined football is as difficult as it seems, but Freeze made the task seem easy in a blowout victory against the Blue Hose.
OVERALL: A
The Rebels won by 48 points, set a season-high for yards in a game, posted their first shutout of the year and left two tough losses in the rearview with Saturday’s win. They led less than 90 seconds into the game and were never threatened the rest of the day. By all accounts, Ole Miss earned a resounding A for Saturday’s performance against Presbyterian.
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.