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Ole Miss may have stumbled upon a new feature back in junior Eugene Brazley. That was just one good thing the No. 16 Rebels saw in Saturday’s 48-28 win over Memphis. Here are some day-after thoughts as Ole Miss heads into a bye week.
5 TAKEAWAYS
Ole Miss found a run game: The depletion of the Rebels’ running backs led to Brazley’s career night of 124 yards on 13 carries. He was big on scoring drives in the fourth quarter and helped ice the game with the clock winding down. He averaged 9.5 yards per carry and was drawing comparisons to Dexter McCluster on Twitter. The Rebels’ 263 rushing yards was the most since 265 against New Mexico State a year ago.
Engram continues his tear: Tight end Evan Engram entered the game with more catches and yards than any tight end in the country. He had 4 catches for 82 yards and the touchdown that stymied Memphis’ momentum in the third quarter. Engram could have gone pro, but he’s making himself a lot of money by staying. He catches balls over the middle, is happy to be a lead blocker and can go high and get it. If he weren’t in a sharing offense, his stats would be absurd.
Haynes and DL so aggressive: When opposing offenses get in 3rd-and-long, DE Marquis Haynes pins his ears. The front has put pressure on Jacob Eason and Riley Ferguson the last two weeks and forced a lot of mistakes, such as four picks (a pick-six in two straight weeks) to go with three forced fumbles.
Jefferson in the slot: Van Jefferson wasn’t all that thrilled about redshirting last season, but boy has it paid off. Jefferson had 7 catches for 79 yards against Memphis and has become a go-to guy for Chad Kelly on big downs.
Speaking of Haynes: His stat line read 6 tackles, 2 for a loss and a sack. But he also had a forced fumble that led to a turnover and 2 QB hurries, one leading to an interception.
REPORT CARD
Offense – A: The Rebels had 624 yards of offense and had the ball more than 32 minutes. They sustained drives and gave the defense some time off. Of those 624 yards, 361 were through the air and 263 were on the ground, a balance the Rebels welcome to their proven passing show.
Defense – B: B for because. Because there were too many opportunities given to the Tigers to get back in the game. Ferguson was 30-for-46 for 343 yards, but Ole Miss did pick him three times and held him without a touchdown pass. So more like a B+.
Special teams – A: Memphis eventually scored on a 99-yard drive but up 27-14, Will Gleeson got a punt at the 1-yard line and both his punts landed inside the 20. Gary Wunderlich had field goals of 23 and 32.
Coaching – A: The staff saw Brazley had a hot hand and kept feeding him. He guided the team through a rough third quarter and avoided a letdown like the ones against Florida State and Alabama.
Overall – A: The Rebels carry a two-game win streak into the bye week and looked pretty efficient against Memphis. The third quarter was less than attractive, but Ole Miss grabbed back control and never let Memphis get close enough to scare the full stadium.
GAME PLAN
Ole Miss stayed aggressive even though it entered as a 14-point favorite. Ole Miss did that, throwing early and scoring on its first drive. Get to Ferguson often, that happened as well, starting with Zedrick Woods’ pick-six.
GAME BALLS
QB Chad Kelly: Threw for 361 yards and a touchdown, tying Bo Wallace’s school record with 11 300-yard passing games and extending his own record of 18 straight games with a touchdown pass.
LB Zedrick Woods: Had a team-high 8 tackles and 2 INTs, including a pick-six, the first score of his career.
RBs Eugene Brazley and Akeem Judd: Combined for 18 carries, 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was the first time the Rebels had two 100-yard rushers since 2014 vs. Presbyterian and the first 100-yard game this season.
