The Ole Miss Players That Benefit the Most From the Bye Week

The Ole Miss Rebels were granted a much-needed bye week following their 52-28 defeat at Florida last Saturday. With a week of rest before heading back into a grueling SEC slate, the Rebels need to utilize the downtime well to answer the many questions Florida's offensive weapons brought upon them.

The bleak Rebel showing makes the bye week all that much more useful, as Pete Golding's squad needs to look ahead to how they can prevent letting future matchups get out of hand as fast as the game in Gainesville.

The bye week presents a valuable opportunity for reserve and limited-role contributors to make their case for more playing time. With an extra week to prepare, players who have seen limited snaps can use practices to show the coaching staff they are ready for a larger role.

For Ole Miss, that could mean younger players and rotational pieces taking advantage of the extra preparation to push for opportunities when the Rebels return to action. A strong week of practice could be enough for some of those players to turn limited opportunities into a more significant role down the stretch.

Jehiem Oatis, Defensive Tackle

Ole Miss Defensive Tackle Jehiem Oatis | The Dispatch

The Rebels need a lifeline in their uphill battle to defend the run, and Jahiem Oatis could be one of the answers.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 340 pounds, Oatis is a freak athlete with the size, power and athleticism to make an impact along the interior of Ole Miss' defensive line. The former Alabama standout started 13 games during his time in Tuscaloosa and saw significant action for Colorado before making his way to Oxford. However, opportunities have been much harder to come by during his first season with the Rebels.

Oatis played only single-digit snaps against LSU and saw fewer than half of Ole Miss' defensive snaps in Gainesville. For a player with his physical gifts, that limited role stands out, particularly after Florida exposed some serious issues in the Rebels' ability to stop the run.

That's where the bye week becomes especially important for Oatis. With an extra week to prepare, he has an opportunity to make a stronger case for himself in practice and earn more opportunities when Ole Miss returns to the field. The Rebels don't necessarily need Oatis to become an every-down player, but finding a way to get his size and athleticism on the field more consistently could give the defensive front another element.

The talent is absolutely there for Oatis, the bye week may finally be the time he gets his big break to bolster the Rebel front seven.

Johntay Cook II, Wide Receiver

Ole Miss senior wide receiver Johntay Cook | Ole Miss Athletics

Deuce Alexander's incredible ability overshadows just how much depth the Rebels have in their receiving corps. Johntay Cook II has fallen victim to that depth, seeing few opportunities in his first four games for Ole Miss.

Coming off a 600-yard, 45-reception season for the Syracuse Orange, Cook looked to be a lock for the second receiver spot behind Alexander. The only problem is that he has barely seen the ball.

Cook entered Oxford with plenty of hype surrounding him. A former highly regarded recruit with proven production at Syracuse, he appeared to be one of the more obvious candidates to step into a significant role in the Rebels' offense. Instead, he has struggled to carve out consistent opportunities in a crowded receiver room.

A player with leading-receiver caliber, Cook could take the reins as Trinidad Chambliss' No. 2 guy after Alexander, or in the very least, a legit No. 3 threat behind he and Traylon Ray. His emergence would completely change the Rebels' offensive outlook this season. If Cook utilizes this bye week right, expect to see his name pop out in future box scores.

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