OXFORD, Miss. — Not playing much this season was probably frustrating for Ole Miss running back Ulysses Bentley IV. He did what coaches talk about when he got his chance, though.
After getting 107 yards on 11 carries and a big 50-yard touchdown run in a 29-26 overtime loss to LSU on Saturday, the first thought was where he’d been. For whatever reason, he had just 16 carries coming into the game.
Rebels coach Lane Kiffin had a meeting with the senior Monday during a bye week and told him he much he liked the response. Like I said in the beginning, that sort of response is what coaches desperately hope to get.
“Just control what I can control,” Bentley said “I was just glad I got the opportunity to go out there and call my name and do what I do. [Kiffin] just always kind of talks to me and tries to keep it always positive with me at all times, but he definitely was proud of me.”
Bentley said he wasn’t told why he wasn’t seeing the field more. The way he responded is something Kiffin will probably be talking about for years down the road. Bentley did exactly what coaches want.
“I’ve just been preparing hard each and every week,” he said. “Just preparing with the o-line, preparing with Jaxson and all the other guys. Just to make sure that I’m on top of things and being able to go out there and make plays.
“Kiffin talks about it all the time, just going through adversity. You can’t just lay down and just be low. At all times just being positive and just figuring a way to get better each and every day. Just be great.”
Kiffin talked with the media before Bentley and talked about how proud he was. That’s a word that didn’t sound like coachspeak. In this day and age of the transfer portal, it probably was a sincere feeling.
The coach even got caught up in the moment on the 50-yard run, sprinting to running backs coach Kevin Smith in an excited manner.
“It was an exciting moment, especially because it was fourth down,” Kiffin said Monday. “You could see his release because he was frustrated. Frustrated not playing, frustrated that when he had played he hadn’t had as much production when played earlier in the year. I was just extremely excited for the moment, but excited for him. I actually just finished meeting with him and told him how proud I was of how he handled adversity and how well he played in the game.”
Bentley is not taking his big night as any indication of what’s coming the second half of the season.
“Everybody knows our role here, what I can contribute and what I bring to this team,” Bentley said. “I’m just going to continue to be me and be myself and go out there and make plays for my team.”
It won’t be decided this week, though. Ole Miss has a week off before hosting Oklahoma as the Sooners begin their journey through the SEC. An exact time is not set, but it will be 11 a.m. or 12 p.m.
