Ole Miss Rebels Star Running Back Quinshon Judkins Is Officially Back
At times, the Ole Miss Rebels offense has been a bit of an enigma.
And one of the biggest questions surrounding the offense through the early part of the season was the play of star running back, Quinshon Judkins.
In the team's first four games, Judkins rushed 57 times for just 201 yards, averaging a mere 3.5 yards per carry.
While that number wasn't ideal by any stretch, it wasn't just the yards per carry that was confounding, but also the average of 14.25 carries per game over that span.
However, that all changed in the Rebels late-September thriller vs. the LSU Tigers in Oxford, with Judkins exploding for 177 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries.
And rather than regressing back to the mean from the first four weeks of the year, Judkins has continued to hold his form in October.
In fact, after an 18-carry 65-yard, and one-touchdown performance against Arkansas, Judkins has posted back-to-back 124-yard performances on the ground, including his most recent performance in the Rebels' 33-7 win against Vanderbilt on Saturday night.
This time, Judkins was able to reach the 124-yard mark on just 17 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per carry along the way, and scoring two touchdowns - the first coming on the opening drive of the game.
Quinshon Judkins vs. Vanderbilt on Saturday night
Carleigh Harbin-The Grove Report
So what does this all mean for the Rebels?
Well considering he's been able to put together three 100-plus yard performances and scored five touchdowns in his last four games, it would appear that the Ole Miss star has returned to the form we saw him at in 2022, where he rushed 274 times 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns.
In other words, he is back, and it could not have come at a better time for Ole Miss.
Over the next two weeks, the Rebels are set to face two of the top rush defenses in the country: the Texas A&M Aggies and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs.
The Aggies will be up first, as they head to Oxford next weekend for another edition in the Jimbo Fisher vs. Lane Kiffin 'rivalry.'
Judkins has seen the Aggies before, rushing 34 times for 204 yards and a touchdown against them last season in College Station. However, the 2022 Aggies defense is much improved from a year ago, ranking 21st in the country against the run and No. 9 in the nation in total defense.
After that, Judkins gets his shot at the Bulldogs, who sport the No. 11 rush defense, No. 6 total defense, and No. 7 scoring defense in college football.
If Judkins can show up like he has over the last four weeks in both of those games, and the Rebels can come out the other side of it unscathed, the sophomore will not only once again cement himself as the best running back in the SEC, but could also help put the Rebels back into the College Football Playoff picture.
Things will start with Texas A&M next Saturday at Vought-Hemingway Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m.
