Ole Miss wide receiver Juice Wells reflects on win over Georgia, is focused on finishing regular season strong
OXFORD, Miss. – Just days removed from his game-sealing touchdown catch in the win over Georgia, Ole Miss wide receiver Juice Wells reflected on the historic victory and discussed the end goal for the Rebels as the regular season begins to wind down.
Wells iced the game with his toe-tap grab in the back of the endzone to give the Rebels two-possession lead late in the third quarter over the Bulldogs. He had a hot start to the season for the Rebels, catching a touchdown in every game through the first four weeks.
Sippin’ on that Juice 🧃@juicew3lls | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/W0F8wks6O5
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 9, 2024
Although the transfer playmaker may not be getting the same number of targets he did while at South Carolina and James Madison, he has become a reliable target for Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart in moments when he is needed most.
“It was the kind of look we were getting all week (in practice). We just ran the play and executed how we were supposed to. I was just happy that I was able to make that play and (Jaxson) Dart was able to trust me.”
~ Wells on his touchdown against UGA
Wells made three grabs in the victory over the Bulldogs, one of them coming on the second Ole Miss drive of the game from backup quarterback Austin Simmons. That reception from could be looked at as one of the more important plays of the game, especially considering Simmons had just checked in for Dart who went to the locker room to be examined before later returning.
Austin Simmons connecting with Juice Wells on the rollout.
Love this angle as well!
🎥: @KarisChambliss | @TheRebelWalk pic.twitter.com/C7Tq0NFZSH
— T.J. (@TJOxley1) November 12, 2024
However, Juice had no doubts that the dual-sport star, Simmons, would come in with confidence and perform. Right away, the lefty found Wells on a comeback route and everyone knows how that drive ended.
Wells had high praise for the highly-touted, young Rebel quarterback.
“He’s amazing, man. He is a young guy but he is so mature. He’s just always ready. Even when we are chilling and hanging out, he always has that confidence level with him. He brings that to practice with him every week, every day, day-in-and-day-out. It was very heart-warming, I was very happy to see him go out there and execute like he did. He came in there with a lot of swagger and confidence; he did what he was supposed to do.”
~ Wells on Simmons coming in for Dart early in the UGA game
Following the Simmons scoring drive, momentum shifted and the Rebels controlled the remainder of the game as they eventually took the lead and never looked back. While the win is considered a program-changing win, Wells explained that there was no pressure on the team to perform — because they knew exactly what they were capable of.
“We knew there was something still left on the table, and we know we all came here for a reason. Going into this (past) week, we didn’t feel like anybody was pressured to do anything or was anxious about anything. We felt like we had great weeks of preparation after those losses and just went out there and winged it. Just do what we do, play our ball, we don’t care what logo we are playing (against). We could have gone out there and played anybody; we would have done what we were supposed to do.”
~ Wells on the team feeling going into the UGA game
Coming into the 2024 college football season, Ole Miss was ranked 5th in the country and projected by many to be a playoff lock. However, losses to Kentucky and LSU made many lose hope as it seemed this Ole Miss team was not playing up to expectations.
Wells was asked about halftime of the Oklahoma game, the moment things seemed to have changed for Ole Miss, as the Rebels entered the locker room trailing the Sooners, 14-10, only to come out in the second half and score 16 unanswered.
“We went in there (the locker room), and we knew what type of team we are, but we were not playing up to our standard at all. We just went in there and made a few tweaks, just got back to playing our ball…we knew were a better team at halftime during that point, so we just went out there and did what we were supposed to do.”
~ Wells on the halftime adjustments against Oklahoma
Another big change for Ole Miss recently has been the absence of the SEC’s leading receiver Tre Harris. After exiting in the second half of the LSU game with an injury, Harris has not played a snap since.
However, playmakers such as Wells, Cayden Lee, Jordan Watkins and Dae’Quan Wright have continued to be reliable and show up big for Ole Miss during that time. Wells said there were changes with the absence of the team’s top target, obviously, but the Ole Miss receiver room has a next-up mentality.
“Of course, there have been little tweaks here and there. Overall, we kept the same kind of personnel, plays and stuff like that. Just putting different guys in different spots to make those plays. We have a pretty deep receiver room so I feel like a lot of the guys can take on that role now that Tre (Harris) is out.”
~ Wells on the absence of Tre Harris
Although the Rebels will move on and look toward the end goal, the win over Georgia will be one that fans, players and coaches will cherish forever. Wells was shocked, just like many others, after chaos broke out and a sea of red covered Hollingsworth Field. However, the playmaker knew it was all love from Rebel Nation once the clock hit triple zeros.
“It was amazing. They (the crowd) were with us the whole time…just for the fans to come out there and storm, I have been in a field storming before but nothing like that one. It was crazy. I actually saw the field goalpost come down. It was just crazy, I couldn’t move. It felt kind of scary at first but they started showing a lot of love. I love our fans for that.”
~ Wells on the fans storming the field
LET THE PARTY BEGIN. pic.twitter.com/9n92ZmP9Rm
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 10, 2024
When a game is that emotional, sometimes it can be difficult for winning teams to put the moment behind them and execute again. Fortunately for the Rebels, the win led into the final bye week in preparation for the final stretch of the season.
For Wells, the bye week has meant getting in the film room to watch tape on the Florida Gators because the job is not finished yet.
“I look at who we are playing, Florida…I am not trying to look too far ahead; I just want to be where my feet are and just focus on the next day, the next moment. I will probably get some recovery after this, but I am not really looking too far into the rankings. We know what the end goal is, but we got to win next week.”
~ Wells on plans for the bye week
Up next
Wells and his Ole Miss teammates have been soaking in the latest win over the course of the bye week. But preparations for Gainesville have already begun ahead of next week. Next Saturday, Nov. 23rd, the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels will hit the road to take on the Florida Gators in the swamp. Kickoff is set for 11 am CT on the ABC network.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
