The Ole Miss defense understands importance to 'hold people accountable' this season
Plenty of newness within the Ole Miss defense this season from defensive coordinator Pete Golding to another batch of transfer players.
But the one new thing that could be held above all the rest is a shift in mindset, starting with Deantre Prince and the Rebels secondary.
Six games into the season and No. 13 Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) has mixed returns on the play of its defense. Growing pains are expected with Prince and a handful of other returns trying to mesh with new faces in a trial by fire that was three straight SEC games.
With the final six games of the 2023 schedule set to commence this weekend at Auburn, the Ole Miss defense is in a good place, mentally, and have a key understanding with one another.
“We’re coming together,” Prince said after Monday’s practice. “It’s like we’re all together in this. When I make a mistake or Zamari (Walton) makes a mistake we all hold each other accountable. That’s in the safety room, the corner(backs) room. That’s all around. It’s just our energy now. We feel it’s important to hold each other accountable and say the things that we didn’t say years before.”
Whether there was a defense-wide therapy session where that mindset clicked or just an understanding, it is helping the defense slowly turn the corner despite some poor showings early in the season.
Ole Miss is currently 10th in the SEC in total defense and 82nd nationally, allowing 388.3 yards per game.
The shootout against LSU to close out September did not do much to quell the uneasy feeling that the Rebels defense is not showing that turnaround under Golding, or as fast as some would prefer.
Against Alabama the Ole Miss defense held the Crimson Tide to 24 points but allowed 356 total yards. A week later the Tigers offense scored 49 points and amassed 637 total yards, but the Rebels got the key stops late when it needed to.
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Two weeks ago Ole Miss held Arkansas to 286 total yards of offense. That was the lowest yardage total allowed by the Rebels through its first SEC games, showing things could be clicking in a positive manner coming off the bye week.
“We’re just a defense that’s hungry,” Prince added. “I don’t think we played our best game versus LSU, but thankfully to our offense we won that game. We know that we got to put that on our backs so that next week following up (with) Arkansas we just work as hard as we can. …So we can be those guys on defense, basically.”
Prince is one of five Ole Miss players with an interception this season and is ninth on the team in tackles with 20. Three of those have gone for a loss of yards. Through six games Prince has broken up two passes and forced a fumble.
Returning for a senior season was a decision Prince made, with the idea to beef up his NFL Draft stock come next spring.
“I’d say my play has been pretty average,” Prince said. “I can do a lot more. One interception, that’s not me. I can do a lot more. I plan to prove that these next few games.”
