The Ole Miss Rebels sneak out of College Station with a 31-28 win over the Texas A&M Aggies. Head coach Lane Kiffin and his squad came off a devastating loss against LSU that made this game feel like a must-win, and the Rebels got the job done. As Ole Miss enters the bye week, they will look to reflect on the previous eight games to prepare for Alabama in Week 11.
Quinshon Judkins should get some Heisman buzz.
Had it not been for running back Quinshon Judkins’ 205-yard performance, the Rebels could have left Kyle Field empty-handed with two losses. Instead, the freshman phenom showed out against the Aggies, and Kiffin could not be happier with the production he saw from Judkins.
Ole Miss trailed this game 14-10 at halftime, on the road, so it would have been easy to succumb to the pressure and hostility from the “12th Man” at A&M, but Judkins took any opportunity presented to him to silence the crowd.
Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. put the ball in the freshman’s hands and allowed him to work. On the back of Judkins, since running back Zach Evans came into this game hobbled, the Rebels imposed their will on the Texas A&M defensive line.
Although the Heisman has historically been a quarterback award, Judkins is quickly making his name known and could soon make it impossible to ignore him when selecting the trophy winner.
The bye week could not get here soon enough.
Through eight weeks of college football, the Rebels have mounted a fairly hefty injury list. Wide receiver Jaylon Robinson missed the game this weekend, and other smaller, nagging injuries will have adequate time to heal over the bye week.
Star defender AJ Finley was in and out of the lineup against the Aggies, Evans played less than expected and wore a knee brace and quarterback Jaxson Dart sustained a minor rib injury against LSU.
Since the Rebels have Alabama waiting for them in a couple weeks, they will need all hands on deck. Therefore, this bye week could not have come at a better time.
Ole Miss needs to keep their foot on the gas.
The Rebels’ offense has slowed down in multiple games this year because they have a lead. However, no lead is safe in the SEC, and many games have ended and caused fans to grow gray hairs unnecessarily.
This is, in essence, a testament to the Rebels’ limited offense. Since it relies heavily on the run game, Ole Miss resorts to it late in games, which can become predictable and easy to stop.
Kiffin knows what he is doing, as he led Ole Miss to its first 10-win regular season just a year ago, but his team tends to hurt itself in late-game situations where they try to run the clock rather than continue to score.
