Ole Miss ‘D’, one of worst in country, leads bowl victory
TAMPA, Fla. — The Ole Miss offense didn't need to win in Saturday's Outback Bowl. It got to win.
Ole Miss defeated No. 11 Indiana 26-20 to finish 5-5 in the , the Rebels' first bowl appearance in five seasons. After a season where Ole Miss rode its offense through the good times and the bad, Saturday was the first time the offense got to watch as the defense took over and iced a game.
After Ole Miss led 20-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, Indiana surged back to tie the score 20-20 with 5:58 left. Ole Miss responded by driving 63 yards in 1:46 to regain the lead and give the ball back to the Hoosiers (6-2) with 4:12 left.
Indiana methodically drove to the Ole Miss 33 in seven plays, looking primed to rip the lead away in dramatic fashion. But that's where the defense stepped up.
A tackle for a loss of 2 yards on first down. A sack for a loss of 6 on second down. A pass breakup on a deep heave on third down. And a combined pressure from defensive linemen Ryder Anderson and Quentin Bivens on fourth down forced an errant throw to fall short and turn the ball over on downs, cinching the Rebels' victory.
Ole Miss had lost three games where it led or tied the score in the fourth quarter. Saturday it finally won.
"The difference was that the defense stepped up," quarterback Matt Corral said. "They made the stop. The defense won us that game. It's plain and simple. They finished it for us. We didn't need to go out on the field again. We did, but we needed to take a knee. That's the easiest play in football."
Ole Miss entered the game with arguably the worst defense in college football. No FBS team allowed more yards per game than Ole Miss. Only one Power 5 team allowed more points per game than Ole Miss. The Rebels had the worst passing defense and the worst rushing defense in the SEC. Then Saturday happened. Ole Miss only allowed six points in the first three quarters. Indiana averaged just 4.3 yards per play, almost a full yard below its season average. Ole Miss forced multiple turnovers for just the third time. Indiana's 369 yards were the fewest Ole Miss had allowed all season.
"(Defensive coordinator D.J.) Durkin had us do about 20 walkthroughs a day," junior linebacker Jacquez Jones said of the preparation that went into this turnaround. "I feel like that helped us out a lot. We knew what was coming and I feel like we showed it on the field."
For players like Jones, Saturday was a vindication of sorts. The defense was allowing 47 points per game in four games before Indiana's season even started. The defense gave up 42 points to South Carolina, which fired coach Will Muschamp the next day. In the Rebels' last game, they allowed one receiver to catch 14 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns.
In two weeks, that defense evolved into a unit that looked dominant at times and competent at others against a Top 25 opponent.
"It feels great," Jones said. "We prepared like no other. We had the Christmas break but we came in that Saturday and went right to work. I feel like the defense is headed in the right direction."
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said the difference for the defense was the way it limited explosive plays. In the Rebels' first nine games, they allowed an average of 20 plays of 10 yards or longer. Indiana only logged 12, and none was longer than 21 yards. That's why, even after the unit allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns, Kiffin wasn't too concerned. In the huddle before the decisive final drive, Kiffin calmed his players down with a reassurance.
"Really, we just reverted back to the way they were playing early," Kiffin said. '' 'You guys have stopped them all game. Do it again. This is what you worked for all day.' "