OXFORD — Ole Miss junior linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. feels like he and his teammates are in a good place for the Rebels’ stretch run. Because, over the last few days, details have been the emphasis.
No. 18 Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2 SEC) has lost two of its last three games by a combined six points, the most recent a 29-26 overtime loss at LSU. The Rebels led for most of the final three quarters against the Tigers and did not trail until the game’s final play, a game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
Losing close games eats at you, Paul said. Because it means the defeat likely happened because of little mistakes here and there that the team practiced to guard against.
“It’s funny how the small things can add up at the end of the day. … Maybe I should have guarded the running back here, or maybe I should have passed the ball here instead of that, I should have made this check,” Paul said. “Just small things like that, they really do take a toll on you. Because it’s something that you would never expect to happen. It’s this thing that you rep every single day and you know that you harp on every single day. And just for you to mess up on that one time could really determine everything.”
That heartbreak in Baton Rouge is in the past, however, and the Rebels still have five games to make their case for a bid to the College Football Playoff. It starts with Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3) this weekend at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
It’s always one game at a time for Ole Miss, but this week does seem to hold a bit of added gravity given the point in the season. It’s an opportunity for the Rebels to show they still have more in the tank.
“I feel like it is, especially with just going in and really just talking to guys, just keeping spirits high,” Paul said. “ … That’s really important coming from one of our leaders on the team (Jaxson Dart), as well as we have a lot of defensive guys that do the same.
“ … The communication was high, the effort was high, guys were on top of little things out there to show how much that they truly care about this team and success. So, I feel really confident going into this Saturday and the rest of these weeks.”
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