Carleigh Holt-The Grove Report
Ole Miss DB Tysheem Johnson Talks Week 1 Performance, Preparation for Central Arkansas
The Ole Miss Rebels are 1-0 after beating the Troy Trojans 28-10 in their home opener on Saturday. The Ole Miss defense may have surrendered a touchdown in the second half, but the unit overall looks improved compared to last year's group.
Ole Miss safety Tysheem Johnson made his presence felt in the home opener by leading both the Rebel and Trojan defenses in tackles with 12. Johnson spoke with the media on Monday about his standout performance.
"It felt good," Johnson said. "First game since January, so I was just excited to be out there. Fall camp was a lot of scrimmages and practices. I just couldn't wait to play."
Johnson also discussed what he saw from the Ole Miss defense that impressed him the most.
"I like the depth we've got," Johnson said. "One guy comes out, we know a warrior is going in right behind him. Everyone goes balls-to-the-wall every play."
While the defense as a whole was impressive, the Ole Miss linebacker group turned heads on Saturday after coming into the season with a lot of questions. Johnson talked about the unit's performance against the Trojans.
"[The linebackers] played outstanding, Khari [Coleman], Troy [Brown], Austin [Keys]," Johnson said. "I think we have great linebackers, they are filling big shoes that we had to replace from last year in Mark [Robinson] and Chance [Campbell]. I think we're moving in the right direction."
Johnson also discussed how he is preparing for the Central Arkansas Bears in Week 2.
"Just [focusing] on the little things," Johnson said. "Having good eyes, cleaning up my footwork, keep tacking good at practice. Just trying to clean up all the little stuff."
The Rebels and Bears are set to kick off at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be televised on SEC Network+.
You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.
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