Ole Miss Football’s Diego Pounds, Winston Watkins Earn SEC Weekly Awards
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – (Release) Ole Miss football senior left tackle Diego Pounds (Offensive Lineman of the Week) and freshman wide receiver Winston Watkins (Freshman of the Week) have both earned weekly awards from the conference office, as announced by the SEC on Monday morning.
Pounds helped anchor an Ole Miss offensive line that gained 431 yards at No. 11 Oklahoma last week, lifting the Rebels to a 34-26 ranked road win. Pounds and the Rebel offensive line unit yielded just one sack – only the eighth allowed by Ole Miss this season – and entering Week 10, the Rebel o-line ranks as the SECs’ best in terms of pressure rate allowed per PFF at 21.8 percent.
Watkins had a breakout performance against the Sooners, leading all Rebel receivers with 111 yards on four catches, a career-high that stands as the most by an Ole Miss freshman since Elijah Moore had 129 against South Carolina in 2018. Watkins was especially crucial late in the game, with 40-yard receptions on back-to-back drives that helped Ole Miss get into Sooner territory.
No. 7 Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1 SEC) returns home this week to host South Carolina (3-5, 1-5 SEC) for a contest under the lights at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
(Release and photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics)
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. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
