OXFORD — Jerrion Ealy broke through for 78 yards and a touchdown early in the third quarter Saturday night.
Three minutes later, Snoop Conner eclipsed Ealy, going 84 yards for a touchdown of his own.
The two freshmen gave Ole Miss fans in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium a reason to celebrate — and exhale.
Ole Miss, thanks to Ealy and Conner’s bursts, defeated Vanderbilt Saturday, improving to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference.
The two freshmen running backs stole the headlines Saturday, giving Rebel fans a pair of reasons to be excited for the future.
However, as Ole Miss heads to Missouri next Saturday in search of a winning streak and a chance to move closer toward postseason eligibility, all eyes remain on the Rebels’ quarterback position.
On Saturday, Ole Miss started freshman John Rhys Plumlee for the second straight week. Last week, when Ole Miss lost at Alabama, Matt Corral was in shorts, unable to play because of a rib injury. Corral practiced last week and dressed against Vanderbilt. However, he didn’t play a snap against the Commodores.
Earlier in the week, Ole Miss coach Matt Luke said he thought both Plumlee and Corral would play. Clearly something changed.
“Matt still wasn’t 100 percent healthy to be able to run the football,” Luke said. “I think he’d be able to throw it if we needed him to. Hopefully he’ll continue to get better and better and we’ll be able to use him some. People will have to prepare for both.”
Plumlee is exciting as a runner. That’s not up for debate. His speed shocked Vanderbilt in the first quarter Saturday, helping Ole Miss build a 10-0 lead. However, once the Commodores adjusted and took away Plumlee’s feet, the Rebels’ offense grew stagnant, allowing Vanderbilt to pull within 10-6 at halftime.
Plumlee was 10-for-18 passing Saturday, good for 99 yards, including a long of 28.
That lost second quarter didn’t matter Saturday. Vanderbilt isn’t a good football team, and Ole Miss’ defense consistently takes away the opponent’s running and puts the game into the hands of the opposing quarterback. Riley Neal couldn’t take advantage, and once Ole Miss had a double-digit lead, it was over.
Missouri, Texas A&M and Auburn, Ole Miss’ next three opponents, are going to stack the box with talented front-sevens and try to limit the run. At some point, Ole Miss has to throw it some.
Then again, maybe the terrestrial attack is the one Ole Miss wants to embrace moving forward. Ole Miss rushed for 413 yards against Vanderbilt. Plumlee had 22 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown. Ealy had four carries for 97 yards. Conner had five for 91. Scottie Phillips had 11 carries for 62 yards and a score.
The Rebels can certainly run it, and perhaps that strategy is giving a beat-up defense time to rest. Ole Miss lost time of possession Saturday, 33 minutes to 27, but some of that was a result of the Rebels’ quick strikes in the third quarter.
Elijah Moore caught four passes. Jonathan Mingo caught two. Jadon Jackson and Octavious Cooley had one reception each. All season, Ole Miss coaches have basically begged for another receiver other than Moore to step up. Perhaps that’s not happening, and Ole Miss has elected to just lean on what works.
The season is now halfway done. This team is, according to sources inside the program, ahead of schedule. It clearly has playmakers.
What it needs now, with a legitimate opportunity to make some noise in the second half of the year, is some balance.
“We’re not a finished product by any stretch,” Luke said. “We have a lot to get better at but we’ll only continue to get better. I think as much as we run the ball, to be able to take advantage of some shots with our wideouts _ we have some guys who are capable on winning some one-on-ones _ I think we’re going to need to be able to do that moving forward.”
