Ole Miss is loaded in the passing game. How does South Carolina plan to slow the Rebels down?
When you think Ole Miss, the first name that probably comes to mind is Juice Wells. And how couldn’t it be? — at least for anyone who pays close attention to South Carolina.
For two seasons, Wells was an impactful wide receiver for the Gamecocks, mostly in 2022 when he came close to finishing with 1,000 yards. Now he’s on the other side of things, ready to make his return to Columbia on Saturday, as a member of the Rebels.
Since the moment Wells announced his intent to transfer to Ole Miss, many around Columbia have circled Saturday, Oct. 5 on their calendars, waiting for the day they get to “welcome” back their former star receiver.
While most of the attention has been on Wells this week, he’s not the only one South Carolina has to worry about. By the numbers, Wells is actually the third-leading receiver on his new team. No matter how you look at it, Ole Miss is stacked at the receiver position and present a big challenge for the Gamecock defense in the secondary.
“I mean, Kentucky had a nice trio of receivers, and so does Ole Miss have a good cuatro, maybe four or five really good players that can beat you on short passes,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said. “They break tackles well and they can also catch the long ball. And they also do a great job of making you miss.”
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Despite not being the go-to guy in the offense, Wells has still been productive and shown signs of his old self. So far, he’s logged 14 catches for 274 yards, averaging 19.4 yards per catch, and four touchdowns. Even if he didn’t make a single catch in Ole Miss’ 20-17 loss to Kentucky last weekend, he’s still a dangerous player.
But the real threat for the Rebels is senior receiver Tre Harris, who has accounted for nearly 40 percent of all team receptions this season. He’s been a favorite target of quarterback Jaxson Dart’s, connecting for 804 yards and five touchdowns on a whopping 49 catches.
And it’s not even an assumption who Dart likes to throw to. It’s painfully obvious. The Rebels’ next leading receiver, Cayden Lee, has 16 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown. When in doubt, Harris is probably going to be getting the ball.
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With how much Ole Miss likes using Harris compared to others, it can be easy to want to put most of the attention on him. But because of what the other playmakers can do, it’s not that simple. That’s been part of the challenge for White in prepping his defense for what’s to come.
“We look at targets, we look at all those things to try to figure out some quarterback’s favorites. And obviously, they have a nice group of receivers that can make plays,” he said. “So, you really can’t tilt your hand one way or the other. It’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul. So, we don’t want to get caught in that situation.”
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So, if South Carolina wants to win on Saturday, slowing down the passing attack will have to be a factor. Between Dart and his pass-catchers, Ole Miss is ranked second in the country in passing offense.
What it comes down to for White is not solely playing good coverage on their receivers. It also will take great play in the trenches on the defensive line to force Dart into some tougher throws. If that happens, the rest should take care of itself.
“To me, coverage and front and all that stuff go hand-in-hand together,” White said. “The quicker we get to the quarterback, the less they have to cover and vice versa. The slower they get there, the longer they have to cover. That’s every week in this league.”
