(Photo from OleMissFB)
- Defensive Coordinator Pete Golding will try to deliver an encore performance with a group not quite as transfer heavy as last year’s.
As Ole Miss prepares for life without Jaxson Dart, there’s been less talk about the Rebels’ next phase of life on the defensive side – without tackle Walter Nolen.
The Texas A&M transfer, a Mississippi native, was a star in his final college season before being selected No. 16 overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
Word coming out of this season’s college camp reports is that the defense overall, the line in particular, has been really strong.
That’s good news for the Rebels because there are big shoes to fill.
Before last season, the standard for defense at Ole Miss in the last 20 years was the 2008 team.
That’s the group that beat No. 4 Florida because it stopped Tim Tebow on fourth-and-1.
They had lost to Vanderbilt before with a handful of turnovers and lost at home to South Carolina the following week.
Ole Miss would finish 9-4 with a win over heavily favored Mike Leach and Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.
I tend to think of that defensive group how they were at the end of the season which was dominant.
“Last year’s defensive line was a great group of guys. They reminded me of when we came through in that they had great players who came on with the second group that was able to relieve those first unit guys,” former Ole Miss defensive tackle Jerrell Powe said.
Indeed, quality depth at the line of scrimmage is hard to find in college football, and it separates the very good from the elite.
Ole Miss had it last year and had it in 2008 as well.
Jerry’s passionate speech to 2008 teammates
The 2008 depth, while effective and integral to the unit’s success, was no match statistically for their leader at defensive tackle, Peria Jerry.
He was emotional, not a big talker, particularly in an interview setting. He was quiet by nature … until he had something to say as he did one day after practice before that team got itself turned around and finished with six straight wins.
Jerry stood surrounded by the entire team, not just the defense. He was loud, he was passionate. There were a few swear words mixed in.
But every eye was on Peria Jerry, and but for the sound of his voice, all was quiet.
After a 24-20 loss at Alabama in which the Rebels had the ball last with a chance to win, Ole Miss closed with wins over Arkansas, Auburn, ULM, LSU, Mississippi State and Texas Tech, most of them by more than two touchdowns.
Jerry finished that year with 18 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Nolen last year had 14 tackles for loss and 6 ½ sacks.
Numbers like those from interior line mean they’re are owning their real estate and taking up more.
The difference in the 2008 and 2024 teams are the numbers around Nolen. Jerry had only one teammate with double-figure tackles for loss. Nolen had five.
One of those was Suntarine Perkins, who had 14 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead last season with 10 ½ sacks. Perkins could follow Nolen as a second first-round pick in two years from the Ole Miss defensive line.
Lane Kiffin’s defensive coordinator, Pete Golding last week signed new deal that pays him $2.55 million this season, making him the highest-paid assistant in the SEC.
Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter has demonstrated that he’ll reward quality and is committed to provided the resources for Ole Miss football to compete at the national level.
“Lane has done a tremendous job putting together this defensive staff. There are a lot of experienced guys that know football, a lot of sharp guys. They did a great job of getting those guys prepared to play, and I saw a lot of things that I was really impressed with schematic-wise,” Powe said.
Last year the Rebels led the nation in sacks (4.0 per game) and tackles for loss (9.2 per game). They were second in scoring defense (14 points per game) and second in rushing defense (80.5 yards per game).
The 2008 team was behind but comparable to those numbers in most categories.
For the modern era, however, those are numbers that Ole Miss dreamed about most years.
Different mix leads rebuilt defense
Now Golding’s unit will try to deliver an encore performance with a group not quite as transfer heavy as last year’s.
He’s hit some key spots, and there are expectation for new guys like edge rushes DeShawn Womack (LSU) and Princewell Umanmielen (Nebraska), but there are expectations for guys like William Echoles and Kam Franklin, guys who who come up through the program.
The young guys have seen Golding’s successful system demonstrated.
“What they’ve learned from Walter Nolen and big Jared Ivey they can go out and apply,” Powe said. “Kam, Echoles and some of those guys … you can see the ability that’s there. They have to understand that they have to bring it week in and week out, but I think they know that. They’ve matured.”
There’s a good mix at Ole Miss now, Powe says.
Big shoes to fill, yes, but big feet to get it done.
“We have a great opportunity to do some special things with all the young talent we have throughout the whole defense and on offense. We have a really good opportunity to build a special team,” he said.
Parrish Alford
