Takeaways from a narrow 35-27 win over Tulsa

Ole Miss beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes in a game that was much closer than most Rebel fans would have liked. The Rebels had a 35-17 lead at halftime that would slowly fade away in the second half as the offense went stale.

New RB1 in Oxford?

Through four weeks of the season, Ole Miss has put an emphasis on the run game, and it has become clear that this is a ground-and-pound team. While that did not change on Saturday, there may be a new leader in the stable. 

Freshman Quinshon Judkins has been the talk of the town this fall, but his story may have gotten even crazier as he got the bulk of the carries on Saturday. In total, the Rebels’ running back tandem produced a total of 37 carries for 188 yards and 3 touchdowns, of which Judkins had 27/140/2. Fellow running back Zach Evans looked strong in the first half but was held out of the second half with an injury, allowing Judkins to shine. 

The 18-year-old ran with great physicality and showed an advanced ability to break tackles and accelerate into the open field. In all honesty, he looked like a seasoned vet as opposed to a young man in his fourth college game. His style is more aggressive than that of Evans, but both backs have shown that they can take 20-30 carries in a game and produce at a winning level. 

On Saturday, Judkins was undoubtedly the MVP, as his performance was the only thing keeping the chains moving in the second half. I predict that the Rebels will alternate starting running backs on a game-by-game basis in order to keep players healthy over the season while still allowing them to get into a rhythm weekly.

Four defensive lineman … please

Last year, the Rebels were haunted by their dime defense, which allowed offenses to easily run the ball for about four yards before they were touched. The most notable case of this lackluster run support came early in the 2021 season against Alabama. 

The Crimson Tide ran for over 200 yards and four touchdowns in a blowout win, which sank the Rebels’ hopes of a trip to the SEC championship. This year, there was some hope that scheme diversity may be on its way to Oxford, but those dreams took a hit with the play calling against Tulsa. Though there have rightly been some questions about the secondary after allowing a couple of receivers to get open, not enough attention has been directed to the bigger issue at hand. 

The Golden Hurricane pass attack went 16-35 for 195 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. On the other hand, their ground game went for 262 yards on 43 attempts, good for about six yards per carry. 

Next week, Ole Miss will face its first real threat in Kentucky, and the Wildcats will not be forgiving. I am willing to bet that there are five Kentucky linemen licking their lips at the thought of facing a nickel defense on first, second and third down. If Ole Miss refuses to add a body on the interior, expect another 250+ yard rushing game from the Wildcats.

Team Expectations

This is a quicker note, but head coach Lane Kiffin was visibly angry on the sideline last week despite having a huge lead late in the game. This week was no different, as Kiffin once again looked disappointed from start to finish, though he may have had more of a reason this week. 

In his post-game conference, Kiffin said, “You would not have thought we won the game in the locker room,” showcasing that the team was unhappy with their performance. 

The Rebels won, and the record will simply go to 4-0, but that does not feel like enough for Ole Miss. This is simply not a team that is going to settle for close wins. That speaks to the coaches who have been brought in, the attitude of the players and most importantly, a true culture of winning in Oxford.