Notes: Ole Miss defensive back Jake Springer was a difference-maker in his return at Tennessee. He's just getting started.

Jake Springer was mentally and physically exhausted. 

Ole Miss had just wrapped a 31-26 win at Tennessee on Saturday, and Springer had given everything he had in what was his return from a four-game absence due to a shoulder injury. The senior Navy transfer, playing in his one and only eligible season as a Rebel, finished with a career-high 11 tackles. He also tallied his first sack.

He was responsible for the crucial fourth-and-24 stop late in the fourth quarter that prompted a 20-minute delay as Tennessee fans pelted the field with golf balls, water bottles and pretty much anything else they could reasonably throw. In the end, though, he’d done his job and provided a lift for an Ole Miss dense that desperately needed it. He was a difference-maker.

And he felt every bit of it as he finally took his rest in the postgame locker room.

“That was a game-ender,” Springer said of the fourth-down stop. “From when I seen it when they were spotting it, I knew it was short. I was really just relieved. I was exhausted after that game, mentally and physically. That’s what coach tells us, ‘After a game, you’re supposed to be drained completely.’ That was it right there. We came back out and finished it after that. It was a whole lot of fun being in that atmosphere at Tennessee. They definitely hosted well.”

“Jake played with phenomenal effort for a guy who hardly does anything for probably a month,” second-year head coach Lane Kiffin said. “What we’d talked about all offseason and even last season, down on our service team was Mark Robinson, Otis (Reese) and Springer. We’d see them every day and say, ‘Hey, these guys could arguably be our best three defensive players if they were playing.’ Certainly among the top four. They showed it Saturday. All three played really well. It was awesome to see.”

Springer was probable for Tennessee, even after practicing all week in a black, no-contact jersey. But he’d grown accustomed to that.

He spent weeks on a carefully-crafted schedule. Much as the shoulder hurt, Springer never entertained being shut down, and once he was healthy enough to finally give it a go, he laid it all out there, finishing fifth amongst all Ole Miss defenders in snaps played (69). 

“During practice, I’d be down doing conditioning and any (defensive back) footwork and breaks and stuff like that just to keep my legs ready and conditioned,” he said. “They had me on the same type of track our guys was doing on the GPS for practice and stuff. They tried to keep me on the same type of schedule as far as working out and conditioning. They did a great job. I came back with fresh legs and feeling good.”

Ole Miss is 5-1 (2-1 SEC) with LSU (4-3, 2-2) up next. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

Springer is all but guaranteed to make his second consecutive start. Ole Miss needs him. The Rebel offense was held scoreless in the fourth quarter at Tennessee. Springer and Co. proved the difference between a win and a loss — the same beleaguered unit that was torched by Arkansas a week earlier and had fallen into the 100s in a number of statistical categories.

“Just help as much as I can, wherever I need to,” Springer said. “Be versatile. Everyone in our safeties room is versatile and can play a whole lot different positions. Whenever our number’s called, just step up and make a play if it comes to us.”

He doesn’t care where he lines up. In the preseason, he was utilized more as a back-end, middle-of-the-field safety. In Neyland Stadium, though, he was everywhere. His usage near the line of scrimmage was critical. He was mixing it up.

Sure, he was worn out once the final seconds ticked off the game clock, but he was finally back in his element. It was good to be home.

“I told (Ole Miss co-defensive coordinator and safeties) coach (Chris) Partridge I miss the perimeter because that’s what I played previously,” he said. “Getting a little taste of that, I was playing a whole lot of middle of the field and stuff — what they needed for that Louisville game. That’s just a part of our versatility as safeties; we’re all able to move around. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of guys moving around and being in a whole different bunch of positions on the back end. 

“I like them both. I can play either.”

Jackson looking to build on first career touchdown

The injury bug has taken a serious bite out of the Ole Miss offense.

Kiffin said Monday even star quarterback and Heisman Trophy favorite Matt Corral is questionable for LSU. The same goes for Braylon Sanders, one of the team’s leading receivers, who’s dealing with a shoulder injury he re-aggravated in the win at Tennessee.

With Sanders’ status up in the air (sources indicate pain tolerance will be key in his availability), and Ole Miss already down other options, the Rebels will turn to third-year wide receiver Dannis Jackson for an extended role. Hear what he had to say when he met with local media on Monday in the video below.