Treadwell cherishes LSU win and wants to improve in all phases

Laquon Treadwell looked to his left Saturday evening after the Rebels defeated LSU, and the Ole Miss wide receiver saw the Magnolia Bowl Trophy there by his side as if it were a teammate or a close friend who wanted to be part of the picture-taking, hand-shaking celebration.

Ole Miss players celebrate their win by hoisting the Magnolia Bowl Trophy. (Photo credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics)

It was obvious the trophy meant a great deal to Treadwell, a tangible reward for a hard-fought win over the Tigers. “The (Magnolia) Bowl is even more satisfying for the fans, for us, for Coach Freeze, the staff and the work they have put in to get us where we are now,” Treadwell said.

After last season’s 10-7 loss in Baton Rouge—and the possibility that he will leave for the upcoming NFL Draft—Treadwell wanted to cherish the win over LSU. He didn’t want to talk about the draft; he wanted to talk about defeating the Tigers and, of course, getting better at his position.

But how much better can you get when you’re Laquon Treadwell, a player who’s the leader in the SEC in receiving yards (1,060) and whose own head coach says is the best he’s ever coached?

Perhaps only Treadwell, himself, can answer the question of how dominant he can be. “There’s always room for improvement,” he said. Treadwell, who had four receptions for 58 yards and a TD against LSU, said there have been very few times he has felt like he was in a zone–but he did on Saturday.

With the football in his hands, Treadwell used his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame to overpower Tre’Davious White for his lone TD, then Treadwell used his body to create running gaps for quarterback Chad Kelly and running back Akeem Judd, who combined for 150 rushing yards and two TD’s on 12 carries.

In the game against LSU, Treadwell made a TD reception in his sixth straight game. (Photo credit: Amanda Swain, The Rebel Walk)

Ole Miss currently leads the SEC in total offense (5,698) and averages a league-leading 40.45 points per game.

Treadwell’s streak of 100-yard receiving games ended at five, but his reception for a touchdown made it the sixth straight game in which he has a TD catch. He quickly gave credit to the entire offense for putting forth the effort to execute plays and to Freeze and his coaching staff for putting the offense in a comfortable situation.

“Our playmakers, from running backs to receivers, even the quarterback, Chad, gets out of the pocket. He’s not looking to go down; he’s looking to gain extra yards,” Treadwell said. “You can hurt defenses when the quarterback can get out of pocket and go get yards that are really not supposed to be made.

“And our wideouts, we just attack any defender that’s in front of us. We are looking to make a play anytime the ball is thrown. So it puts pressure on the defense, whether it’s on a deep route or short route. We are trying to make you miss and get up the field.”

Rebel fans, who may well be witnessing Treadwell’s final, regular-season collegiate outing this Saturday in Starkville against Mississippi State, hope when the game is over the Egg Bowl Trophy is right by Treadwell’s side, just as the Magnolia Bowl Trophy was on Saturday.

Kickoff is at 6:15 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

Feature image credit: Amanda Swain, The Rebel Walk