OXFORD – A defensive meeting following Ole Miss’ 41-35 win over Arkansas last month seems to have made its mark. After all, the Rebels have been among the best defenses in the SEC since then.
Ole Miss surrendered 28 first-half points to the Razorbacks and allowed 526 total yards, including 221 yards and four touchdowns rushing. After the game, defensive coordinator Pete Golding called his group together in an effort to try and figure things out.
“He basically said … we have to just really just fix everything,” Ole Miss sophomore defensive tackle Will Echoles said. “We had a lot of (missed assignments) in the Arkansas game. We know if we want to be still playing in December and January, we have to fix our defense and get some stuff cleaned up.”
The No. 4 Rebels (5-0, 3-0 SEC) have surrendered a total of 29 points and 536 yards in wins over Tulane and LSU. Ole Miss held the Tigers to 57 rushing yards, the first time all season an opponent ran for less than 170 yards in a game against the Rebels. Ole Miss is tied for 19th nationally in red zone defense and is 25th in passing yards per game allowed. Their 18.8 points per game allowed is tied for 33rd nationally.
Ole Miss hosts Washington State (3-2) Saturday at 11:45 a.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. The Cougars average 228.4 passing yards per game (68th nationally), 78.2 yards per game rushing (131st) and 20.6 points per game (t-109th). It will be the first-ever meeting between the teams.
Under Golding last season, the Rebels had the No. 2 scoring defense in the nation and the second-ranked rush defense. With just two starters back, however, Ole Miss took a few lumps early, particularly in rush defense. Opponents scored six rushing touchdowns over the first three games against Ole Miss and averaged 5.4 yards per rush. In two games since, the Rebels have allowed one rushing touchdown and 3.1 yards per rush.
“(Golding) basically just told us to play as a team. Trust the person next to you,” senior safety Wydett Williams Jr. said. “If someone makes a call, execute that call no matter what the call is. Just play for each other. We’re not playing for ourselves, we’re playing for each other. And that’s what makes us better.”
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