COLUMN: Ole Miss Overcomes Shaky Play, Pulls Off Close One vs. Tulsa
If you're a fan of the Ole Miss Rebels and you wanted an easy tune-up before welcoming the Kentucky Wildcats to Oxford next week, Saturday was not for you.
Ole Miss led 35-17 at halftime against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, and it appeared that it had turned a corner after a lackluster performance earlier in the half. That wasn't the case.
Not only did the Rebel defense get gashed for 457 total yards in Saturday's win, it surrendered 10 points after halftime, 10 more than its offense could put together after the intermission.
The Rebels struck quickly on Saturday, scoring on their first possession in less than two minutes. After that, however, it was a sloppy slugfest for the offense to establish much momentum and for the defense to slow down an efficient Tulsa offense.
On the bright side: Jaxson Dart did not turn the football over on Saturday, but he did throw two touchdowns and rush for over 100 yards. That's a positive sign for a quarterback whose decision making has been questionable at times in his young career.
What isn't promising, however, is the Rebels' play on both lines of scrimmage on Saturday. Missed tackles and seemingly-poor pass protection (paired with more issues with snaps) made this one a tough-to-watch affair in Oxford.
This team looked much different than it did just a week ago when it dominated Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and it has a stiff test coming next week when Kentucky rolls into town. The Wildcats have shown that they have a good amount of talent this season, but getting them at home should be a boost for the Rebels.
If they want to win, however, they have to play better than they did on Saturday. That much is certain.
You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.
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