Sep 26, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Jaylen Walton (6) stiff arms Vanderbilt Commodores safety Jahmel McIntosh (27) during the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi Rebels beat Vanderbilt Commodores 27-16. Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
OXFORD, Miss. — Hugh Freeze wasn’t shy about letting his team know he was disappointed with its focus leading up to last week’s game against Vanderbilt.
If No. 3 Ole Miss doesn’t find it quicker this week, Freeze’s team might not be so lucky.
Ole Miss sputtered through a 27-16 win over the Commodores on Saturday, a game that was still within one score until Jaylen Walton salted away the victory with a short touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter. Freeze gave credit to Vanderbilt for some of the Rebels’ struggles, but it was still Vanderbilt, a team that’s 1-3 and looks destined for another last place finish in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division.
“We had an awful Wednesday,” Freeze said afterward. “Thought we had an OK Tuesday, but we need the leadership in the locker room to help us with that for sure.”
Now Ole Miss (4-0, 2-0 SEC) gets one of the teams at the top of East standings in No. 25 Florida on Saturday. The Gators (4-0, 2-0) are riding a wave of confidence after rallying from a 13-point deficit in the second half to top Tennessee. Florida pulled off the comeback in its home stadium and will welcome the Rebels to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., for another primetime matchup.
“It will take great preparation for us to be successful and the leadership in the locker room,” Freeze reiterated Monday. “Many of them stood up and talked about the expectations of this week in preparing. I really like what I hear, and hopefully we’ll see the fruits of that this week.”
Ole Miss didn’t look anything like the nation’s top scoring offense against Vanderbilt, scoring touchdowns on just half of its six trips inside the red zone and going 3-of-13 on third down. Things won’t get any easier against a Florida defense, led by All-American cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, that’s surrendering just 18 points a game.
“(Hargreaves) is supposedly the No. 1 corner coming out this year if he comes out. They’ve got a lot of talent all over the field,” quarterback Chad Kelly said. “They’re very aggressive. They like to come downhill and hit. Their D-line is very strong. They get off the ball very well, and their linebackers do a good job flowing sideline to sideline. It’ll be a very tough task.”
Ole Miss’ defense struggled again on third down — at least early — against Vanderbilt as the Commodores converted on five of their first seven, all five coming on their second possession to hand Ole Miss its first deficit of the season. The Rebels got stops on 10 of Vandy’s last 15 third downs but are still allowing opponents to convert nearly 38 percent of the time.
“A couple of times we didn’t get the call in quite fast enough,” linebacker C.J. Johnson said. “A couple of times, we were out of position. Getting the wrong checks or we’re checking to something, and everybody is not getting the whole check. We’ve got to everybody and 11 guys there on third downs to be locked in.
“I think just going out and being consistent every single day. I think last week, we were kind of up-and-down in our preparation.”
Ole Miss is looking to even that out this week.
“It’s about us, how we prepare and come out,” running back Jaylen Walton said. “Saturday, we’ve just got to come out a little bit more with enthusiasm, a little bit more fire and little more amp so we can start off fast and not try to pick up when it’s too late.”
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Chad Kelly cracked for the first time against Vanderbilt, passing his season total in interceptions at that time with a pair of picks into double coverage on what Freeze called “really, really bad reads.” The first year starting quarterback still leads the SEC with 1,219 passing yards and is second with 10 passing touchdowns but dropped to fifth in efficiency with a 174.3 rating. He’s completing 61.7 percent of his passes.
–DT Robert Nkemdiche continued to be a threat on offense and defense. The 6-foot-4, 296-pound junior has 15 tackles and 4.5 tackles and scored his third offensive touchdown, a 1-yard plunge, against Vanderbilt.
–Injuries have held LB Denzel Nkemdiche back the last couple of seasons, but the senior is starting to play like the All-SEC performer he was a freshman in 2012. Nkemdiche followed up a 10-tackle performance against Alabama with a career-high 14 stops, including 10 solo, against Vanderbilt and leads the Rebels with five tackles for loss.
–RB Jaylen Walton turned in his first big game against real competition this season, posting his third career 100-yard game with 133 yards on 21 carries against Vanderbilt. He moved into 15th place in school history with 1,496 career rushing yards.
SERIES HISTORY: Ole Miss leads Florida 12-10-1, including a 6-3-1 advantage in games played in Gainesville. The Rebels won the last matchup between the teams in 2008, 31-30, in the Swamp.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “There’s been a standard that’s been at every place I’ve been — East (Mississippi Community College), at my high school and even here. I just feel like I have to perform at a certain level otherwise somebody behind me might be able to do that.” — QB Chad Kelly, on if he’s putting extra pressure on himself to perform amidst team’s success
