Ole Miss Football Practice Report: Rebels Using Bye Week to Get Healthy, Prepare for Game Against Florida

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) The No. 11 Ole Miss football team is on the inside of the College Football Playoff picture after a monumental win over then-No. 3 Georgia, but there’s work left to do for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels with two SEC games still left on the schedule.

Kiffin held his weekly press conference Monday to recap the historic UGA win and provide a look at what Ole Miss hopes to accomplish during its second and final bye week. Jared Ivey, Antwane Wells Jr. and Trey Washington also met with the media this week, which can be found below.

Key Bye Week

While Ole Miss is on the inside of the CFP picture at the moment, there are still plenty of other games around the nation that could impact the standings, and the Rebels have two important pieces of business to attend to at Florida next Saturday and in the Egg Bowl six days later. In the meantime, Kiffin and his squad are using the bye week to heal up and clean up any areas before the final stretch.

“A lot to work on this week, health wise, but also schematically to continue to improve,” Kiffin said. “You guys asked about the Playoffs. We’ve been in the playoffs for three games now, so we have to continue to improve to stay alive for that. A lot of stuff to work on.”

As Kiffin mentioned, this second bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. Tre Harris, who is still fourth in the nation in receiving yards despite missing the last three-plus games, should be ready to go out of the break, along with quarterback Jaxson Dart, who played through injury against Georgia. It also gives the Rebels a chance to catch their breath and refocus after an emotional win over the Bulldogs.

“I do [think the bye comes at a good time] and normally don’t a lot of times like them when you’re winning, having two dominant wins by 50 points between the last two wins,” Kiffin said. “But because of health, obviously with Tre, that’s exciting to think about how well we’re playing without the best receiver in the country and was on pace to shatter every record there is. Just thinking about him coming back, it’s really good timing. It’s very hard to come back—not that they wouldn’t have—but it’s challenging to get up after that emotional type of game and them hearing all week about how they’re the greatest team ever and all of that.”

Just Peachy

Jared Ivey went to high school at one of the nation’s college football hotbeds at North Gwinnett outside of Atlanta, less than an hour and a half from Athens. North Gwinnett has multiple 4- and 5-star prospects seemingly every year, bringing visitors from Georgia and every other top program in the nation, but whenever the Bulldogs came to visit, Ivey wasn’t on their list. After his seven tackles, two sacks, forced fumble and two pass breakups on Saturday, the they’re probably wishing he was.

“It meant a lot. Whole life grew up around Georgia fans. I remember they recruited Barrett Carter and Jordan Hancock and stuff at my high school but never wanted me for a meeting and never pulled me out of class,” Ivey said. “To go get that feeling out of your mouth, get the taste out of your mouth that we had from last year against them and get the job done as a team is surreal.”

For his efforts, Ivey was named SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week alongside teammate Princely Umanmielen, who himself had two sacks, a forced fumble and a QB hurry—not to mention a third sack and second forced fumble that were negated by a penalty. Between Ivey, Umanmielen, JJ Pegues, Walter Nolen, Suntarine Perkins and others, the Rebels have formed college football’s most formidable pass rush this year with an FBS-leading 46 sacks on the year.

“The individual accolades are a testament to everybody else on the front,” Ivey said. “We only get these 1-on-1s because they can’t double anybody. P gets to work off the edge, Walt gets to work inside, JJ gets to work inside, and I get the work everywhere because you can’t single out one guy because the next guy will go make the play.”

Wells Timed

We told you to keep an eye on Antwane Wells Jr. in our first look last week, and he came through with his biggest catch in a Rebel uniform to help put the game away late against Georgia. Facing 3rd-and-6, Jaxson Dart threaded a perfectly timed pass over the head of a Bulldog defender and into Juice’s hands for six to give Ole Miss a coveted two-score lead late in the third. Cayden Lee and Jordan Watkins also stepped up with big games, combining for eight catches for 149 yards.

“Confidence level is always through the roof. All of our guys always have that type of swagger with them. Everybody knows that any game can be their game,” Wells said. “We just keep on practicing and prepping the way we do, and that builds our confidence also. As long as we continue to have good practices, we’re going to be good.”

Wells was on the field for the final kneel down, at center stage as the fans from the record crowd of 68,126 flooded on, and it’s a moment he won’t soon forget.

“I’ve been on a stormed field before but nothing like that one. It was crazy. I actually saw the field goal come down. It was just crazy,” Wells said. “I couldn’t move. It felt kind of scary at first but they started showing a lot of love. I love our fans.”

Next Up: 

Ole Miss travels to Gainesville for a November 23 contest with the Florida Gators. Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. and the game will be broadcast on ABC.