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OXFORD — There were new faces on the defense.

There was a sense of confidence that the work had been put in, that the new scheme would work and that there was real, significant improvement.

However, in the aftermath of Ole Miss’ dramatic, somewhat harrowing win over Arkansas in early October, the Rebels’ defense found itself at a crossroads of sorts. Yes, Ole Miss had won the game, making a defensive play to clinch it, but the Razorbacks had rolled up 676 yards and 51 points in a losing effort.

Ole Miss didn’t run from it.

“It was really a matter of taking ownership and pride in what we were doing, knowing we had to improve and play better,” Ole Miss co-defensive coordinator DJ Durkin said, adding that the credit for that improvement from that point forward belongs to the players. “They have really bought into playing together.”

Almost three months later, No. 8 Ole Miss is 10-2 and getting ready to depart Wednesday for New Orleans and a New Year’s night date with No. 7 Baylor in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Durkin said the 3-2-6 scheme and the influx of players such as linebackers Chance Campbell and Mark Robinson and safety Jake Springer helped, but it was the commitment “to playing for one another and being part of a team, that was big in the offseason and after the (Arkansas) game, we really leaned hard on that. We really went back to the things we talked about and built on and said, ‘We really put a lot into this thing and we’re not going to let it slip away. To our guys’ credit, they responded in the right way and played really well.”

Ole Miss defensive end Cedric Johnson said the defensive players met after that game against K.J. Jefferson and Co. Coaches weren’t invited.

“Keeping our confidence, after that game, it was like, everybody regrouped,” Johnson said. “We regrouped and got our heads right. We regained our confidence. Early in the season, we were playing together but we just weren’t clicking the way we were at the end of the season and how we are going to finish this season. …We all talked about things we needed to work on, where our focus needed to be and how we were going to move forward.”

The meeting was emblematic of the leadership that was present in the defensive meeting rooms.

“We have leadership in every position,” Ole Miss All-American defensive end Sam Williams said. “It’s a big upgrade from the years before.”

“I walked into a great situation,” said Campbell, a Maryland transfer who solidified the Rebels’ linebacker corps. “I think you can try to handle it the best that you can, but if you don’t have the people around you who make it easy to do so or make it a comfortable situation, then that might be a different situation. But that couldn’t be further from the truth here. I walked in and everybody was welcoming and accepting.”

Instead of panicking, the Rebels settled in, evaluated what went wrong and started the task of fixing it.

“It wasn't difficult at all because we didn't shy away from it last year,” co-defensive coordinator Chris Partridge said. “We hit it right in the mouth, and we believe in each other, and we believe in the process that we needed. And so we sat in here, and we watched it, and we were hard on ourselves and didn't shy away. So it was just something that we got to get back to work and we got to continue. There was really good moments in that game too. Shoot, I forgot the score at halftime, but we were playing pretty well. And then it kind of fell apart, and we just knew that we had to do some different things as coaches. We were asking guys to play 99, 100 snaps in a game. And we had to adapt and do some

things -- different things.

“I think we all looked at ourselves after that game because we felt we had a pretty good defense. We all looked at ourselves after that game and pushed ourselves to get up and get better. So I don't think that's hard. I think that's part of this thing. Everyone wants to go into the season and shut everyone out, but that's not realistic. That's not real life. So if you're looking at attacking this like real life and overcoming things, then I don't think it's very hard at all.

After the win over the Hogs, the Rebels had strong defensive performances in wins over Tennessee and LSU and then closed strong with dominant performances in wins over Texas A&M and Mississippi State.”

Ole Miss finished the regular season No. 54 in scoring defense, allowing 25 points per game. The Rebels allowed 183 yards per game on the ground and 245 per game through the air, but those numbers are skewed a bit by the fact that the Rebels’ offense goes so fast that the defense is on the field a lot. Ole Miss defended 934 plays, some 78 per game.

“We're just trying to create negative plays,” Durkin said. “We’re trying to get offenses off track, which I think is a key fundamental of defense. Again, I'll give credit to the players on that. We have guys doing a great job winning one-on-one. And so our sack number (39) has gone way up, and negative plays have gone way up. I think when you create those explosives -- we talk about limiting the explosive on offense. When you create defensive explosives, which is negative plays and turnovers, I mean, those are the things that really do change the game. So we have certainly focused on that. We work hard at it, both not just scheme-wise but execution and technique and fundamentals and effort and all those things. It has certainly helped us during this run throughout the season.”

The hard work was rewarding. The results came, sure, but the process became fun.

“I'll just say it's fun to be part of a team when the guys are bought into the team and playing together and then experiencing success,” Durkin said. “That’s what it's all about. Really work hard. I think we coach and play the ultimate team sport. I think it's one of those things that's getting lost amongst our society and everything we do and being part of something bigger than yourself. And so, you know, when all that's going on in the world and we can get a group of guys together and really buy into that and believe in being a part of something bigger than themselves, being accountable to the guy next to them, it's fun. It's rewarding. It's a cool thing to be a part of.”

“We’re having a lot more fun — everybody, across the board,” Johnson said. “Even the scout team going against the 1s, everybody is playing their part and knowing that it’s working. It’s getting more fun.”