Ashanti Cistrunk discusses the Rebels’ strong defensive performance vs. Arkansas: ‘It gave us a great confidence boost’
OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss defense recorded a sensational performance last Saturday against Arkansas and one of the biggest contributors towards that was senior linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week this week.
Ashanti picked up his first interception of the year late in the first quarter against the Hogs and put the Rebels in a position to take their first lead of the game. He broke down the play for us from his perspective.
“I really was just reading off of (Arkansas quarterback) KJ (Jefferson), and then I tried to bait him a little bit and I broke on it and I caught the pick. I was just laughing the whole time, I’ve been hearing from my teammates about how I’ve been running slow, so I guess I need to do speed training the rest of this week, so that’s pretty much it.“
Ashanti Cistrunk on his interception of KJ Jefferson
SEC Defensive Player of the Week 😤@AcThe_Goat | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/taSRsa8mC9
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 9, 2023
In addition to Ashanti, safety John Saunders Jr. also recorded his first interception of the year late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for Ole Miss. The Rebel defensive line also did its part, racking up five sacks and ten tackles for loss.
There is no doubt the Ole Miss defense was in top form against the Hogs. The Rebels held Arkansas to only 288 total yards, the fewest allowed against an SEC opponent since Oct. 5, 2019 against Vanderbilt (264). Further, they gave up just 36 total rushing yards, their lowest against an SEC opponent since holding Tennessee to zero on Oct. 18, 2014.
Cistrunk credited head coach Lane Kiffin for making sure the defense was prepared after allowing 49 points the week before to LSU.
“Coach Kiffin put a lot on us to come back and so we just worked at it. We focused on everything we were doing, the little small details. The scout team has been helping us with the looks, so we just got after it,” Cistrunk said.
Yet another problem from last week’s game that was quickly resolved was stopping the Hogs’ ground game. The Rebels went from allowing 223 rushing yards to LSU to just 36 to the Hogs in a seven-day span.
Furthermore, the Rebs gave up 335 rushing yards last year against Arkansas with the same quarterback and running back. It was evident that defensive coordinator Pete Golding made it a priority for the Rebels to apply the pressure to KJ Jefferson and the Hogs.
“We made sure to attack the offense. We knew their offensive line wasn’t as good as they’ve been in previous years so we tried to attack them with different movements and all types of things.”
Ashanti Cistrunk on Arkansas
Ashanti finished his day on the field with nine tackles, the second most behind Trey Washington with 10, along with a tackle for loss and his crucial interception. The Mississippi native has notched 37 total tackles on the year, the second most on the team, also behind Washington.
Looking ahead, the defense has given itself a new sense of belief and is in a great position heading into the bye week, according to Ashanti.
“It gave us a great confidence boost. We know that the coaches have trust in us and that the defense can finish the game so it just feels great.“
Ashanti Cistrunk
Next Up
Ole Miss enjoys a bye week this Saturday and then will travel to Auburn to face the Tigers on October 21. Kickoff for that game has been set for 6:00 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
