Ole Miss 23, Texas A&M 3: The Rebel Defense Stifles the Aggies in Oxford

Laquon Treadwell eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark for the third straight game, the Ole Miss offense accrued almost 4.5 yards per carry, and the Landshark defense held Kevin Sumlin's Aggie offense to under 200 yard and just three points as the Rebels played the Texas A&M Aggies to a 23-3 win in Oxford. The game was far from pretty, with both teams committing multiple turnovers, making questionable play-calling decisions, and racking up 23 penalties for over 200 yards total, but in the end the Rebel defense ruled the day by stopping the Aggie ground game and forcing poor decisions out of quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Jake Hubenack.

In a sense, this Ole Miss was the one we watched lose to Florida and Memphis after struggling against Vanderbilt. The Rebels had difficulty moving the ball in short yardage situations and it only got worse the closer they got to the endzone. Chad Kelly played a bit too fast and loose with the ball. Mental lapses kept Aggie drives alive. But, unlike the Rebels from prior weeks, the Ole Miss defense showed resolve, even with Robert Nkemdiche missing the game due to a concussion and Tony Connor still sidelined with a knee injury. The defensive line got an excellent push, the linebackers showed great tackling ability, and the secondary made plays on the ball. It's exactly what we wanted to see.

No, this team tonight doesn't stroll into the Swamp and win, and they don't beat Memphis making the same mental mistakes they made tonight, but let's be happy with the improvements we are seeing. Ole Miss beat a top-25 SEC team at home and allowed them to only score three points. That's damn good stuff.

More analysis and whatnot to come tomorrow. In the mean time, get your spookiest of costumes ready for next weekend, when the Rebels travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers at 11:00 a.m. Central on Halloween.