Run to the ‘Sip: Ole Miss Putting SEC on Notice with Stacked Running Back Room
OXFORD, Miss. – Remember the days of the NWO, the “Nasty Wide Outs” at Ole Miss, when names like AJ Brown, DK Metcalf, Laquon Treadwell, Donte Moncrief, Damore’ea Stringfellow, Quincy Adeboyejo, DaMarkus Lodge and more took to the skies with the pass-first offenses of the Hugh Freeze era?
There was only one problem with that: defenses eventually adjusted. And in the SEC, once defenses figure out you are a one-dimensional team, you’re toast.
With the arrival of head coach Lane Kiffin came a balanced offense that has seen the Rebels finish No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per game for two out of his three years in Oxford (2020 and 2022) and No. 2 in the other (2021).
Lane Kiffin SEC Offensive Rankings at Ole Miss
| Year | SEC Pass Rank | Passing YPG | SEC Rush Rank | Rushing YPG | Overall SEC Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | No. 3 | 344.9 | No. 1 | 211.0 | No. 1 |
| 2021 | No. 3 | 274.8 | No. 2 | 218.0 | No. 1 |
| 2022 | No. 7 | 239.8 | No. 1 | 256.0 | No. 3 |
In comparison, in Freeze’s system, his teams finished as follows in the SEC in rushing yards per game:
Hugh Freeze SEC Offensive Rankings at Ole Miss
| Year | SEC Pass Rank | Passing YPG | SEC Rush Rank | Rushing YPG | Overall SEC Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | No. 5 | 249.9 | No. 5 | 173.8 | No. 5 |
| 2013 | No. 3 | 283.3 | No. 7 | 190.0 | No. 5 |
| 2014 | No. 5 | 263.6 | No. 10 | 155.5 | No. 8 |
| 2015 | No. 1 | 334.7 | No. 8 | 183.1 | No. 1 |
| 2016 | No. 1 | 314.9 | No. 12 | 149.4 | No. 3 |
There’s no doubt the Rebels’ rushing prowess is serving the SEC notice that Coach Kiffin is more than a pass-happy playcaller.
The… “Nasty Running Backs?”
Can we call them that? While the receivers might have something to say about it, there’s no denying Kiffin’s Rebels have developed quite the rushing attack.
Quinshon Judkins burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2022, putting up ridiculous stats and finding himself briefly in the Heisman Trophy conversation last season.
In his first collegiate season, Judkins set Ole Miss school records for rushing yards (1,567), rushing touchdowns (16), most rushing attempts (274), 100-yard games (8), and multi-rushing touchdown games (6). Throw in his one receiving touchdown, and he tied Brandon Bolden and Deuce McAllister for the most single-season touchdowns ever with 17.
The kid is electric ⚡️@qaj4_ | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/xEBf6xMacf
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 15, 2022
Six straight games with a rushing TD for @qaj4_!
🖥 https://t.co/7lGOz9wnha pic.twitter.com/qYSKzGCugQ
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 22, 2022
Judkins would go on to win the Conerly Trophy, CBS National Freshman Of The Year, and the On3 National Offensive True Freshman of The Year. He would also add a consensus First Team All SEC selection, with numerous other honors.
(You can see the insane amount of awards Judkins racked up in 2022 here.)
And despite all of these awards, topped off by 2023 preseason accolades, Judkins is only focused on getting better.
“That’s definitely rat poison to me personally. The main goal obviously is to win. That’s why you come to Ole Miss, to have a great season, be a great teammate, and contribute to the team in a positive way, and that’s my goal… Me personally, I don’t really pay attention to it [pre-season accolades] because that’s not my end goal. I want to work more, my ceiling is so high and I know it can only get better, so that’s not something I really pay attention to.“
Quinshon Judkins
Just the Tip of the Iceberg
There’s a lot of talk about Judkins, and rightfully so. But as stated above, the Rebels’ running back room is loaded.
Behind Judkins, the Rebels have a healthy Ulysses Bentley IV ready to go. After a 2022 season that didn’t quite go as planned due to injury, Bentley is ready to provide a big one-two punch to the Rebs’ rushing attack.
Despite the injuries, Bentley still managed 73 yards on 16 carries and four rushing touchdowns in last season’s campaign, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Ulysses Houdini IV@BentleyDoo | #HottyToddy
🖥 https://t.co/gMrrm3CeFw pic.twitter.com/dZ9T47DHNy
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 3, 2022
What it doo?@BentleyDoo | #HottyToddy
🖥 https://t.co/W1ip3Qgr1N pic.twitter.com/3qk1zzPXj0— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 17, 2022
He brings an incredible amount of speed an agility to complement the bruising attack of Judkins.
And the Rebels just got even deeper.
On August 4th, Oregon State transfer Jam Griffin announced he is bringing his talents to Oxford.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2022, Griffin ran for 488 yards and four rushing touchdowns, adding four receptions for 25 yards. He scored rushing touchdowns in back-to-back games against Montana State and USC.
BRINGING THE JUICE 🧃 @J_Griffin_6 | 📺 Pac-12 Network pic.twitter.com/9e8g9E9cKr
— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) November 13, 2022
THE GO AHEAD SCORE 🙌 @J_Griffin_6
📺 Pac-12 Network
📱 https://t.co/UxRKZEJZrG pic.twitter.com/EUJiEWNZoZ— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) September 25, 2022
But Wait, There’s More…
Looming closely behind these experienced backs is true freshman standout Kedrick Reescano. The talented back from New Caney, Texas, finished his senior season of high school with 1,849 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also hauled in 17 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns.
Coach Kiffin, speaking of Reescano, says he “has some elite traits” but naturally wouldn’t say much more until he sees him perform in a college gameday scenario.
Rounding out the deep room, the Rebels have Fred McAfee, Ali Scott, Jason Albritton, Matt Jones, and Austin Acton all on the roster.
It Starts Up Front
You absolutely have to have a running game to win in the SEC, and the Rebels have made that happen. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is certainly thankful for that — and for the big men up front who lead the way.
“As our team is, everything starts in the trenches and those guys being able to move guys off the ball… Those are some of my best friends on the team. As a quarterback, you’ve got to take care of your offensive line, but at the same time, those are my best friends. Being able to build those relationships and take that next step as teammates and friends has brought us together and I’m super excited to see it show on the field.”
Jaxson Dart on the O-line, running game
Looking Ahead
The Rebels continue fall camp throughout the month of August, and The Rebel Walk will continue to keep you updated all month long.
Kickoff of the 2023 campaign comes September 2nd at 1:00 PM against Mercer in Oxford on the SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
Austin Eldridge
Austin has more than ten years in sports media, including sports talk radio, play-by-play broadcasting and journalism. He has followed Ole Miss athletics for his entire life and has covered the Rebels and the rest of the SEC while working in the Memphis media market. Outside of sports media, Austin is a musician and outdoorsman. Before a serious accident forced him to be medically discharged, he was a multi-media journalist with the Mississippi National Guard.
