Key Takeaways From First Half of Ole Miss Rebels Football Season
It seems like so long ago that we were debating the starting quarterback question.
The Ole Miss Rebels are 5-1 overall and 2-1 in SEC play as they sit in a bye week before traveling to face the Auburn Tigers, and their quarterback Jaxson Dart has solidified himself as the team's starter under center. While the offseason was riddled with questions about transfer quarterback Spencer Sanders possibly dethroning Dart at quarterback, he eventually held onto his job, and the team appears to be all the better for it as a result.
Dart's evolution into one of the best quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference is an obvious takeaway from the first six games on the Rebels' schedule, but what else have we learned from Lane Kiffin's team as it sits idle this week?
Let's dive in.
Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart attempts a pass against the LSU Tigers in Week 5 of the college football season.
USA TODAY Sports
1. Right now, Ulysses Bentley IV is the most productive running back on the roster.
This is not a knock against Quinshon Judkins who has battled some injury adversity this year, but rather, it's a testament to just how good Bentley has been in the backfield. Judkins has not looked as dominant as he did in his freshman season, but a now-healthy Bentley has provided a spark in the running game for the Rebels when they needed it, including late in the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks last week.
So far this season, Bentley is averaging 7.4 yards per carry. That may not be a sustainable number, but he has proven to be elusive and provide a burst of speed that, right now, Judkins does not have.
2. Pete Golding's defense, while not perfect, is a noticeable improvement from a season ago.
For all intents and purposes, the game against the LSU Tigers was an anomaly for Golding and company. Outside of that matchup nightmare against an elite offense, this side of the ball has been solid for Ole Miss this season. Not elite, but solid.
It can be rightly argued that the Rebels defense has won two games for the program this year, and it kept the team in the game during the lone loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. If the offense can find a week-in and week-out consistency, the progression of this defense will be the real difference-maker for Ole Miss this season.
3. Grit.
Not every win has been pretty for Ole Miss to this point, but it has five of them on its resume with dreams of a New Year's Six bowl still very much on the table. Against LSU, the defense was gashed, but it put together enough stops to win late. Against Arkansas, the offense was out of sync, but when it mattered, it put together a drive to win the game.
Lane Kiffin is right. It's better if both the offense and defense are clicking in the same game, but it also helps to know that, when necessary, you can win games in a variety of ways. That substantially elevates the ceiling for this year's team, and with five wins already registered, anything short of nine or 10 will likely be viewed as a disappointment by the fans.
That's a credit to mental fortitude that, frankly, last year's team didn't seem to have.
