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Rapid reaction: Ole Miss routs Vanderbilt 41-3 in SEC opener
By Ethan Levine
Published:
It took the Ole Miss offense less than five minutes to get on the board in Saturday’s SEC showdown with Vanderbilt, and those would be all the points the Rebels would need. However, Ole Miss elected to play the remaining 55 minutes as well, trouncing the Commodores by a final score of 41-3. The game was even more lopsided than the score indicates, as the No. 15 Rebels improved to 2-0 on the young season.
Here are the highlights from Saturday’s action:
Now let’s take a deeper look at the game:
What it means: Bo Wallace learned from his rocky first half against Boise State last week. The senior quarterback completed a stellar 23-of-30 passes for 320 yards on Saturday, and more importantly did not commit a single turnover in the Rebels’ first conference game of the year. Wallace admitted after the Boise game he had tried to force throws that weren’t there, resulting in the three interceptions. This week’s game, however, looked a lot more like his second half against the Broncos, in that he played within the offense and took what the opposing defense gave him. Vanderbilt’s defense gave Ole Miss plenty, and Wallace took advantage without making any costly mistakes that might have allowed an inferior Commodores team to hang around.
What I liked: Ole Miss’ intensity from start to finish. The Rebels didn’t need to get hyped for this game; after all, Vandy was slaughtered by the Temple Owls last week, the same night Ole Miss beat Boise on a neutral field. Instead, the Rebels treated this game like any other SEC matchup, and played with a high level of intensity to ensure there was no doubt as to who the better team was. Likewise, Ole Miss could have taken its foot off the gas when it led 20-0 at halftime and 41-0 through three quarters, but again, the Rebels continued to play at full-speed, even as it replaced its starters with backups, who would then be replaced by third- and fourth-stringers. Hugh Freeze’s team takes nothing for granted, and that will pay major dividends later in the season.
Who’s the man: There’s really no wrong answer here, but let’s single out tight end Evan Engram. Ole Miss’ dynamic sophomore made a marginal impact in last week’s opener, but had a breakout performance against the Commodores, catching seven passes for 112 yards. Vanderbilt made it a point to contain Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell, but Engram made sure the ‘Dores defense paid the price by dominating in the passing game. He also helped block for a Rebels rushing attack that amassed 180 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Engram is a wild-card in the Ole Miss offense, and if he can continue to post stat lines like he did against Vanderbilt, he’ll be in consideration for All-SEC honors come season’s end.
Key Play: Ole Miss tailback Jaylen Walton scored the Rebels’ first touchdown on a 20-yard run around most of the Commodores’ defense. Walton made more than a few sensational moves to elude Vanderbilt defenders on the play, and proved early in the game Vandy would be no match for the Rebels on this day. There are plenty of plays that could qualify as the “key play” to the game, but Walton’s dazzling touchdown scamper was a sneak-peek at what both teams had in store on Saturday afternoon.
What’s next: Ole Miss will find out Sunday whether it moved up from its No. 15 spot in last week’s Associated Press rankings (it’s highly unlikely the Rebels would move down after Saturday’s win). Following that announcement, scheduled for 2 PM ET, the Rebels will begin preparing for their first home game of 2014 next weekend against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. Ole Miss will host ULL and Memphis in back-to-back weeks, and if it can win both games it has a great shot to host College Gameday for the first time in history on October 4 when Alabama comes to town.
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.
