Ole Miss' one key strength continues to carry for Lane Kiffin as path to 12-Team Playoff looks clear again
The Ole Miss offense and Lane Kiffin's play-calling quite often steals the show for the Rebels. From impressive vertical connections between Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris to goal line carries by a 325-pound defensive lineman like J.J. Pegues, the offense always seems to put on a show for Ole Miss. However, the one key strength […]
The Ole Miss offense and Lane Kiffin's play-calling quite often steals the show for the Rebels. From impressive vertical connections between Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris to goal line carries by a 325-pound defensive lineman like J.J. Pegues, the offense always seems to put on a show for Ole Miss. However, the one key strength that continues carrying the team every week isn't on offense.
Ole Miss' pass rush is the one thing that looks good enough to carry Lane Kiffin and the Rebels back into the 12-Team College Football Playoff picture. And after an absolutely wild Saturday of upsets, the path to the playoff for Ole Miss looks rather clear once again.
Through six weeks Ole Miss is the only team in all of college football that has six or more players with 14+ pass rush pressures. The entire defensive front (plus linebacker Chris Paul Jr.) continues to wreak havoc against opposing passers.
Walter Nolen, J.J. Pegues, and Zxavian Harris are all strong and big enough to bully the best interior offensive lineman in the game. Suntarine Perkins, Princely Umanmielen, and Jared Ivey continue to destroy offensive tackles with 56 pressures between the trio. Even when initial pressure doesn't get home, secondary pressure from delayed blitzes and QB spy assignments quite often close the deal like on Suntarine Perkins' sack in the post below.
Perkins put up a career performance against South Carolina on Saturday, tallying a dozen tackles, two for a loss, and nearly flattening LaNorris Sellers on his one huge sack that ended a Gamecocks' drive. While Perkins and Umanmielen (who missed Saturday's game) are tied for the team's lead in pass rush pressures, the one game wrecker that holds the entire front together is defensive tackle Walter Nolen.
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Nolen logged two sacks and a fumble recovery against South Carolina, and it's plays like those that completely flip the script of games. But even when Nolen isn't the one directly making massive impact plays he's quite often the indirect reason for them.
Watch the play below from the official Ole Miss Football account that ends in a Jared Ivey sack on Sellers. Nolen is the down defensive lineman (#2) on the far right side of the defensive line.
Nolen throws the left tackle into what should be the "pocket" for South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers to step up into. Then, as Sellers sees Nolen closing in, he's forced to flee in the direction of Ole Miss edge defender Jared Ivey, leading to an easy sack.
If it isn't Nolen wreaking havoc it's Jared Ivey. If not Ivey, Perkins. If not Perkins, Pegues. The Ole Miss defensive front and pass rush crew is just truly unstoppable. They're already up to nearly 150 pass rush pressures on the season through just six games, which easily leads all power conference teams. If this unreal pressure continues for Ole Miss' pass rush they could certainly win out, inevitably landing a spot in the 12-Team College Football Playoff.
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