OXFORD – Fourth-down offense has been a staple of Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss teams over the years. But don’t overlook how the Rebels view fourth downs on defense. It’s just as big a deal.
No. 17 Ole Miss’ (2-0, 1-0 SEC) defense came up big when it mattered most last weekend in Lexington, Kentucky, securing a pair of fourth quarter, fourth-down stops that ended any hope of a Kentucky comeback. The first stop came at the end of a nearly six-and-a-half minute drive that started the quarter. The Wildcats, trailing 27-20, drove to the Rebels’ 20-yard line. On fourth-and-9, Zach Calzada’s throw fell incomplete, and Ole Miss got the ball back.
The Rebels kept the ball for just 1:38, however, and the Wildcats once again made their way into Ole Miss territory. On fourth-and-6 from the Rebels’ 26, junior edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen sacked Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley. The turnover on downs led to a field goal from junior Lucas Carneiro that gave Ole Miss a double-digit lead with just over a minute to play. Kentucky went 1 for 3 on fourth downs in the game and had just 16 first downs overall.
When it comes time to make fourth-down stops, it’s partially a matter of pride, according to junior linebacker Jaden Yates. Yates, a first-year transfer from Marshall, made six tackles against Kentucky and has 14 total on the year.
Ole Miss hosts Arkansas (2-0) Saturday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. The Rebels have won their last two meetings with the Razorbacks.
“Get off the field, by quite literally any means. We view fourth down as essentially a turnover. … You’re getting the ball, probably most likely putting your offense in great field position,” sad Yates, who made 120 tackles for the Thundering Herd last season. “So, when we see the fourth down up on the sticks, it’s all about getting off the field, making sure our offense doesn’t have a full length of the field to drive.
And it’s also kind of a pride thing. Coach Kiffin, he puts a lot of trust in us and the offense on fourth downs to go for it. And we have a lot of pride as a defense making sure on fourth down we’re getting off the field. So, it kinds of goes hand-in-hand in that regard. And like I said, pride, putting our offense in a great spot, those are kind of the main things for us.”
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