Ole Miss’ Tre Harris ‘played a position he’s never played’ against Auburn and still tallied 102 yards receiving against the Tigers
OXFORD, Miss. — There’s the old football adage, “big-time players make big-time plays,” which certainly seems appropriate in the case of Ole Miss this season. One of those big-time players is Louisiana Tech transfer wide receiver Tre Harris, who has proven time and time again why he’s such a key part of the Rebels’ offense this season.
Against Auburn, he also proved his versatility.
Harris, one of the team captains for Saturday’s game, caught four passes for 102 yards in the 28-21 win over the Tigers at Jordan-Hare — and he did so in a position other than what he normally plays.
With Jordan Watkins — the team leaders in catches and yards — only available for limited action after breaking his hand and having two plates inserted in it, it was Harris who stepped up and moved inside to play Watkins’ slot position.
“Tre did a great job,” head coach Lane Kiffin said after the game.
“He played a position he’s never played. He played Jordan’s position, played the slot. We actually flipped him when their corner got hurt and put him out there on the backup corner for the fade. Quarterback made a good throw and he made a big play, which was a big, changing play.”
Lane Kiffin on Tre Harris filling in at slot receiver
With just 2:32 to go in the third quarter, and after punting on its first three drives of the second half, Ole Miss started work on the Rebels’ own 10-yard line in a tie ballgame in a hostile stadium. Needless to say, it was a crucial drive — and Harris gave the Rebels back-to-back receptions on passes from Dart.
After matching Auburn “punt for punt” in the 3rd quarter after losing the ball on downs to begin the 2nd half, the Rebels caught fire with back-to-back big throws and catches from Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris. The plays cover 29 and 24 yards in the 90-yard go-ahead touchdown drive. pic.twitter.com/KnJITtX4iP
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) October 22, 2023
The first catch came on a 29-yard strike from Dart that Harris caught at the 40 and advanced to the Ole Miss 46.
The second was a 24-yard completion that Harris caught at the Auburn 35 and advanced to the 30. Four plays later, Dart would take it in for a touchdown that would give the Rebs a 21-14 lead as the third quarter expired.
It is hard to overestimate what that go-ahead touchdown meant on the road in a place Ole Miss hasn’t won in since 2015.
Harris has tallied 21 catches for 469 yards this season and leads the team in receiving touchdowns with six, making him a definite big-time player.
Next Up
The Rebs will return to Oxford to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores for Homecoming on Saturday, October 28. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
