Jordan Watkins discusses potential return of Tre Harris, mindset of Rebels’ receiving room heading into pivotal game vs. Florida
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss is coming off of its second bye week of the year, moving the focus to the Florida Gators who recently defeated LSU 27-16 on Saturday afternoon. Head coach Lane Kiffin said in his weekly presser he anticipates the Rebels’ offense returning arguably the best receiver in the country, Tre Harris, for the upcoming game. His teammate Jordan Watkins, talked about Harris’ return and more on Monday.
Watkins indicated Harris was on the field practicing with the team on Monday.
“I’m not really sure how close to 100% he is, just him being out there today is a step in the right direction. Having him back is going to be big-time for us if he is able to go on Saturday. He has big-time playmaking ability… from anywhere on the field he can score. I think having him out there is going to change the way that they (opposing teams) play defense.“
– Watkins on the health of Tre Harris
Though Harris’ return is exciting, his Ole Miss offense has done a fantastic job making up for his loss, incorporating Watkins, Juice Wells, Cayden Lee, and tight ends Caden Prieskorn and Dae’Quan Wright into their scheme. Watkins spoke on the production from the receiver’s room.
JORDAN WATKINS.
THAT’S IT. THAT’S THE TWEET. pic.twitter.com/rOcfdkQtmN
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 2, 2024
“I think we’ve stepped up a lot. You see Cayden Lee making big-time plays… Juice (Wells) with a big-time touchdown against Georgia, Cayden Lee making plays, and myself making plays, our impact is just going to add onto the depth and the explosiveness of the offense.“
– Watkins on the receiving room
Looking further into the production of the receivers, Watkins, Wells, and Lee are all in the top 45 of college football for yards per reception, averaging over 17 yards per catch. Jordan says the most important aspect of getting big-yard gains is finding yards after the catch, something this team does extremely effectively.
“Our keys to victory, we do it every week, and one of the keys is that every time you touch the ball, your intentions are to score no matter what. Every time we touch the ball, we’re trying to score no matter what, and we really harp on that in the receiver room, and obviously it comes to life on Saturdays.”
– Watkins on the mindset of the receivers
Jordan Watkins’ stat line vs Arkansas is unreal 🤯
8 Rec | 254 Rec YDs | 5 Rec TDs pic.twitter.com/bjV5V9MbWG
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 2, 2024
Taking a brief look at Florida, the Gators have tons of momentum following their convincing win over LSU. This week, Florida will play an Ole Miss team who simply cannot afford to lose another game. Though it will be challenging, Watkins says playing with their backs against the wall is something Ole Miss has gotten used to.
“You see it, but for us, every game has been a playoff game for us since that loss against LSU… if we lose, we’re not in playoff contention, so knowing that, we have to win in every game from here on out. You can see that as far as how well we’re playing.”
– Watkins on the mindset of the team
Ole Miss vs. Florida will kickoff at 11 a.m. on ABC this Saturday. Until then, be sure to stay tuned with The Rebel Walk!
