Going into overtime with nail-biting performances on both sides of the ball, the Rebels tallied their second loss of the season against LSU on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The offensive line has not lived up to the hype
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was sacked six times — a record for this season. Poor pass protection combined with Dart holding onto the ball too long gave Ole Miss trouble all night, as the Rebels were unable to get in front of the chains early on.
Bringing in offensive linemen like Diego Pounds from UNC, along with Nate Kalepo and Julius Buelow from Washington, has had almost no effect this year for Ole Miss. Giving up a holding penalty in overtime makes it nearly impossible to score a touchdown.
The run game looked a lot better due to a couple of long gains. Running back Ulysses Bentley IV saw snaps for the first time since the Georgia Southern game, recording 11 carries for 107 rushing yards and one touchdown.
A tale of two halves and 11 penalties for the Rebels
Ole Miss averaged 7.1 yards per play in the first half, leading to an explosive second quarter in which the Rebels scored 17 points.
Throughout Saturday’s performance, the Rebels totaled 11 penalties — the most the Rebels have received in a single game all season.
In overtime, Ole Miss was handed two penalties that drew them back to the 40-yard line on the third down. Both penalties originated from the offense; the first one was a holding call, and the second one was a false start.
The loss of Tre Harris — along with some adjustments made by the Tigers’ defense — led to Ole Miss averaging 4.2 yards per play after halftime.
In overtime, Ole Miss struggled even more, going backwards and eventually settling for a long field goal that ended up sealing the Rebels’ fate as LSU scored on its first play of overtime.
The lack of offensive production in the second half resembled the 2022 Ole Miss-LSU matchup. The Rebels scored 0 points in the second half after scoring 20 points in the first half.
Ole Miss WR Cayden Lee stepped up with the absence of Tre Harris
Ole Miss star wide receiver Tre Harris, injured in the South Carolina game, played in the first half but left the game with an injury early in the third quarter of the game. Harris spent the remainder of the game on the sidelines wearing street clothes.
In the absence of Harris, wide receiver Cayden Lee stepped up, hauling in nine catches for 132 yards. Dart and Lee connected numerous times throughout the game, but Dart did not complete more than four passes to anyone else besides Lee and Harris.
Lee, a sophomore, seems to be the team’s WR2, as Dart has struggled to connect to Caden Prieskorn and Jordan Watkins like he did a year ago.
What’s next?
Ole Miss will enter the first bye weekend of the season but will follow with a home matchup against Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 11 a.m.
