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Hall: A Win is a Win
Photo by Samantha Mitchell
Over the weekend, the Ole Miss Rebels defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores securing their second victory against a South Eastern Conference opponent. There are a couple of aspects to take away from the game played Saturday night in Oxford.
First and foremost, the Rebels looked flat. Let’s say it was an emotional hangover from the victory last weekend against Alabama. Or possibly, the Commodores came into Oxford ready to play. Either way, the Rebels got the victory they needed and improve to 4-0. However with Ole Miss’ title dreams on the line, they cannot continue to play this way.
The Rebel offense, which has been given much praise lately, struggled against Derek Mason’s squad. Even though the offense had 472 total yards, their play looked out of rhythm. Chad Kelly threw two interceptions and was sacked three times. The offensive line needs Laremy Tunsil back at left tackle in order to protect Kelly. He needed more time to make proper reads and accurate throws on Saturday night.
Jaylen Walton had a terrific game; he ran for the bulk of the rushing yards—133. He had a rushing touchdown as well. Still, the Rebels need a more consist and dynamic running game to ensure a balanced offensive attack. Another reason the Ole Miss offensive needs Tunsil on the field, instead of the on sidelines.
On defense, Ole Miss had trouble getting Vanderbilt’s offensive off the field as the Commodores had 89 plays. Giving up only sixteen points though, the Rebel defense stopped Vanderbilt on many scoring opportunities that could have led to an abysmal night in Oxford. Yet the Rebels had no pass rush and did not sack Vanderbilt’s quarterback Johnny McCrary once. Also, the Rebels did not create a turnover for the first time this season.
In the end, Ole Miss got their second conference win against a bitter rival, but looked out-of-rhythm at times. An emotional hangover or not, Coach Hugh Freeze needs to solve this problem before rolling into Gainesville to play the No. 25 Florida Gators. However, this team seems to thrive in big game environments, so the Swamp should provide just that this upcoming Saturday night.
Young Hall is a reporter and sports commentator for HottyToddy.com. Email him at yhhall@gmail.com
| Mon, Nov 4 |  | vs Long Island University | W, 90-60 |
| Fri, Nov 8 |  | vs Grambling | W, 66-64 |
| Tue, Nov 12 |  | vs South Alabama | W, 64-54 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Colorado State | W, 84-69 |
| Thu, Nov 21 |  | vs Oral Roberts | L, 100-68 |
| Thu, Nov 28 |  | vs BYU | W, 96-85 OT |
| Fri, Nov 29 |  | vs 13 Purdue | L, 80-78 |
| Tue, Dec 3 |  | @ Louisville | W, 86-63 |
| Sat, Dec 7 |  | vs Lindenwood | W, 86-53 |
| Sat, Dec 14 |  | vs Southern Miss | W, 77-46 |
| Tue, Dec 17 |  | vs Southern | W, 74-61 |
| Sat, Dec 21 |  | vs Queens University | W, 80-62 |
| Sat, Dec 28 |  | @ Memphis | L, 87-70 |
| Sat, Jan 4 |  | vs Georgia | W, 63-51 |
| Wed, Jan 8 |  | @ 23 Arkansas | W, 73-66 |
| Sat, Jan 11 |  | vs LSU | W, 77-65 |
| Tue, Jan 14 |  | @ 5 Alabama | W, 74-64 |
| Sat, Jan 18 |  | @ 17 Mississippi State | L, 81-84 |
| Wed, Jan 22 |  | vs 13 Texas A&M | L, 62-63 |
| Sat, Jan 25 |  | @ Missouri | L, 83-75 |
| Wed, Jan 29 |  | vs Texas | W, 72-69 |
| Sat, Feb 1 |  | vs 2 Auburn | L, 92-82 |
| Tue, Feb 4 |  | vs 10 Kentucky | W, 98-84 |
| Sat, Feb 8 | | @ LSU | 7:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 12 |  | @ South Carolina | 6:00 PM SECN |
| Sat, Feb 15 | | vs 17 Mississippi State | 5:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Feb 22 |  | @ Vanderbilt | 2:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 26 | | @ 2 Auburn | 6:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 1 |  | vs 12 Oklahoma | 1:00 PM TBA |
| Wed, Mar 5 |  | vs 1 Tennessee | 8:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 8 |  | @ 6 Florida | 5:00 PM SECN |