WATCH: Ole Miss defense has been ‘on a good track’ all season. Now comes Georgia.
The Ole Miss offense has finally looked more like itself over its last six SEC quarters and wins over Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The defense has been there all season.
Ole Miss leads the nation in sacks (41) and yards per rush allowed (2.28). The Rebels are first in tackles for loss (94). They’re fifth in Red Zone defense, sixth in scoring defense, seventh in fumbles recovered and ninth in third-down defense.
They’ve wanted all the smoke all season. It’s why they didn’t bat an eye when Ole Miss was stymied at the Arkansas goal line on the Rebels’ first offensive possession last weekend.
Trey Amos and Co. picked up their teammates in an eventual, 63-31 blowout of the rival Razorbacks.
“It was a, ‘So what? Now what?’ We wanted to change the momentum,” Amos said after practice on Tuesday. “The offense obviously couldn’t get it done, but we had their back and made them pay.”
The offense now appears to be coming along at the right time.
No. 16 Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2 SEC) next hosts No. 2 Georgia (7-1, 5-1) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC. The Bulldogs are led offensively by quarterback Carson Beck and running back Trevor Etienne.
Beck has thrown multiple interceptions in four of his last five games. Amos leads Ole Miss in the category with three. Etienne is seventh in the SEC in rushing touchdowns and eighth in rushing yards per game.
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“I feel like we’ve responded great, just starting in practice,” Amos said of how the team’s bounced back from the loss at LSU. “Getting back on track after watching the film and just want to be better. We have a goal. Just keep on stacking these wins.
“We’re on a good track. We’ve just got to keep our head down and keep working.”
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Amos is in his first and only season as a Rebel.
He transferred in from Alabama in the off-season.
“This season I’ve improved,” Amos said. “But still have more left on the table with the interception part. I can thank the defensive line. Those boys are always eating. I appreciate those guys putting me in a position to make plays.”
The Ole Miss defensive line has 17 sacks in its last two games.
“They make it a whole lot easier, the d-line getting to the QB,” Amos said. “We’ve just got to come up with the plays when the quarterback makes errors and make them pay.”
Amos, running back Domonique Thomas and tight end Dae’Quan Wright all met the media on Tuesday. Here’s everything they had to say.
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