Elijah Moore reflects on success against Kentucky, looks ahead to Alabama

By John Macon Gillespie
Contributor
hottytoddynews@gmail.com

Elijah Moore is typically the workhorse for the Ole Miss receiving corps, but on Saturday, a new face stepped up to the challenge.

Moore got his share of time in the spotlight, for sure, hauling in 10 catches for 92 yards in Ole Miss’ 42-41 overtime win over Kentucky, but sophomore Jonathan Mingo led the team in receiving yards with 128 and two touchdowns. Media members were given access to Moore on Monday, and the Rebel junior bragged on his younger teammate for stepping up to the plate.

“I know that was a big step,” Moore said. “I was proud of him. Next man up has to make plays. When all the receivers work together, it opens everyone else up. Having another receiver on the field helped open Kenny [Yeboah] and the running backs. It just helps the whole team.”

Head coach Lane Kiffin praised Mingo’s progress in fall camp, and Moore said he knew that a breakout game was coming for the Brandon, Mississippi, native.

“Mingo, he does stuff like that,” Moore said. “He’s a big, physical dude, and whenever his number’s called, he makes the play. I knew he was going to be ready for it. It was just a matter of time before it showed.”

Saturday marked the first one-score game that Ole Miss had won since its 2018 win over Arkansas in Little Rock.

“I always knew we could do it,” Moore said. “It was obviously a great thing for us to win, but the ultimate goal is to win every game.”

On the flip side, Ole Miss’ defense was gashed by Kentucky for over 500 yards of total offense. Moore states, however, that he expects the defense and team to improve throughout the course of the season.

“It does get frustrating, but we’ve just got to have faith in our team and our defense,” Moore said. “Football is a four-quarter sport. You’ve just got to play the whole game and let it come to you. As the game goes and as the season goes, we’ll get better, and we’ll adjust.”

This week, Ole Miss’ attention turns to No. 2 Alabama who has had its way with the Rebels in recent seasons. Despite the streak of blowouts in favor of the Tide, Moore is treating this Saturday like other games.

“It’s just like any other team,” Moore said. “They put their pads on just like we do. We’ve just got to be ready. They’ve got good coaches and schemes, but we’ve got good coaches and schemes. We don’t want to go in thinking about the past. We just look forward to the future. We control what we can control.”

Ole Miss is monitoring the situation involving the situation surrounding Hurricane Delta which is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast this weekend, but, as of now, the Rebels and Crimson Tide are scheduled to kick off on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.