Ole Miss vs. South Carolina is a matchup of two of CFB’s elite defensive lines
A banged-up Ole Miss offensive line has its hands full Saturday with a South Carolina front every bit as formidable as Kentucky’s.
The Gamecocks rank Top 30 nationally in total defense (14th), passing (23rd), rushing (28th) and scoring (30th). Kyle Kennard is the SEC leader in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (8.5).
“We beat ourselves,” in the Rebels’ 20-17 loss to Kentucky, lead Ole Miss running back Henry Parrish, Jr., said this week.
“Just have to go out there with a mindset that it’s us vs. us and not vs. the other team. We know what we have. Just have to go out there with the mindset that we’re going to dominate the guy next to us.”
No. 12 Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC) and South Carolina (3-1, 1-1) are the only teams in the SEC with three-plus defensive linemen sitting in the league’s Top 15 in pass rushing.
“I take that with a passion, especially with Jaxson Dart next to me,” Parrish said of pass protection — which fell apart against Kentucky. Parrish, for example, graded out in the 40s, according to Pro Football Focus.
“You have to protect the quarterback with your life. I go out there with the mindset that pass protection is key. I just have to do my job.”
Rebel starters Jared Ivey and Princely Umanmielen are Top 15 in college football in pass-rush win-rate percentage. Second-year, emerging EDGE Suntarine Perkins has 15 pressure in 78 PR attempts.
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The Rebels will need all of hands on deck when they kick off in Columbia at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
The Gamecocks average nearly 200 rushing yards a game.
Leading the way is Arkansas transfer Rocket Sanders. Sanders put 232 rushing yards on the Rebels as a Razorback two seasons ago.
“They’re a great team,” defensive tackle Walter Nolen said. Nolen is in his first, and possibly only, Ole Miss season. The former five-star and top-ranked recruit transferred in from Texas A&M in the off-season.
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“They play hard; that’s part of the reason the offense is so good. They have a quarterback that plays hard. I feel like we’re focused more because we took a loss. Just taking this week and carrying it on to the rest of the season. That’s what we plan on doing.”
Ole Miss has held each of its five opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing.
It’s the first such streak of its kind since Ole Miss kept six straight under the century mark to start the 1999 campaign.
Ole Miss leads the FBS in rushing defense (46.2 ypg), TFL (53) and forced yards lost (220). The Rebels are averaging 10.6 TFL.
Ole Miss has two of the top-five pass rushers in football, per PFF: Ivey is second (91.1), while Umanmielen, a transfer from Florida, is fourth (86.6).
JJ Pegues (first, 90.9) and Nolen (fifth, 87.0) are Top 5 run defenders.
“A loss is always hard for any team,” Nolen said. “But I feel this team has been doing a good job of just moving on to the next week. We all hated what happened last week.
“I’ve played in South Carolina. I love the fans. They really get me hyped. I can’t wait to get there. I play better in away situations and feed off the negative energy that fans give us when we walk into an away stadium.”
