Defense tires down the stretch in loss to A&M
Ole Miss plugged one hole while another opened in a 38-24 loss at Texas A&M last Saturday.
The Rebels’ defense is far from plugged, but it has shown an ability this season to play well for stretches of time.
One of those stretches was against the Aggies, but the offense was unable to do its thing in that window of time.
Ole Miss went into the A&M game ranked last in the SEC in rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense.
Numerically there wasn’t much change as the Rebels gave up 502 yards, 266 on the ground, to go along with A&M’s 38 points.
Peeling back the layers you see an Ole Miss defense that forced three punts in the first half and had given up only a touchdown late in the second quarter. The Rebels led 14-7 at that time and were poised to take a two-possession lead into the locker room when quarterback Jordan Ta’amu fumbled at the A&M 15. The Aggies regrouped and tacked on a touchdown with 44 seconds left, and it was 14-14 at the half.
When the Rebels weren’t forcing punts in the third quarter they were stopping drives with turnovers, one a 96-yard fumble return touchdown by safety Zedrick Woods.
The offense, meanwhile, could move the chains and rest the defense in the third quarter. The Rebels’ first meaningful second-half drive reached the A&M five with Ole Miss trailing 24-21, but kicker Luke Logan pushed a 22-yard field goal wide right.
The missed opportunity in College Station leaves Ole Miss still searching for a sixth win. If it happens at Vanderbilt this week or with a possible upset against Mississippi State it won’t get the Rebels to a bowl game. They’re still under an NCAA ban. It would, though, secure a second-straight break-even season for new coach Matt Luke.
It’s not the level any program strives for, but there’s a grace period for coach Matt Luke as Ole Miss rebuilds from NCAA sanctions.
Beating Mississippi State seems a definite long shot. Vanderbilt is a toss-up, but the Commodores have a solid running back in Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
Most running backs prove to be a difficult challenge for Ole Miss.
The Rebels had some success against A&M’s Trayveon Williams early, holding him to 56 yards and 4.0 yards per rush in the first half.
A&M become more committed to the run in the second half, and the Ole Miss defense was forced to stay on the field more.
The Aggies ran 23 third-quarter plays to eight for Ole Miss. As a result Williams had 172 yards in the second half.
A&M had eight runs of 10 or more yards, seven of them in the second half. Williams had gains of 29, 21, 27 and 46 after halftime.
