OXFORD — Cedric Johnson was at Ole Miss before Lane Kiffin arrived.

In this era of the transfer portal, he’s a rarity. He’s seen everything at Ole Miss, from a fired coaching staff to a season marred by COViD-19 to a 10-win season.

Now a senior defensive end, Johnson is playing a huge role in No. 12 Ole Miss’ season. The Rebels (6-1 overall, 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference) defeated Auburn, 28-21, this past Saturday and face Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-4) Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast by the SEC Network.

“It’s come a long way,” Johnson said. “Specifically, speaking D-line-wise, when I first came in, the D-line didn’t have a really good rep. Over the years, we’ve slowly started to turn around how coaches and everybody views the D-line. It’s a good change. I feel like the whole team and Ole Miss in general has turned around how we’re looked at.”

Johnson, who has 24 tackles, 2.5 sacks and seven quarterback hurries so far this season, said he can tell opponents view the Rebels differently also.

“Our media team shows us a lot of love and us winning plays into that,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of hype behind us and we’re a big team to beat at this point.”

The Rebels are still alive in the SEC Western Division race and in the national race as well as the calendar prepares to turn to November.

“It’s a great feeling,” Johnson said. “It’s a great feeling for the team. It’s keeping us together, I feel, knowing that the main goal is still there. I feel like nobody is looking off anywhere else. …I feel like having the main goal still in hand is keeping our heads on straight right now.”

Johnson said the Rebels are also approaching the stretch run with renewed confidence on defense.

“We’re starting to mesh it all together,” Johnson said. “We still have a few things to clean up, finishing guys off and not letting teams think they can stick around.”

Prieskorn playing with a heavy heart: Ole Miss tight end Caden Prieskorn played his first game Saturday since his father’s passing. Prieskorn’s dad, Jerry Prieskorn, died on Oct. 10 at the family’s home in Orion Township, Mich., following a lengthy illness. He was 52.

“It was definitely difficult,” Prieskorn said. “I had a lot of stuff on my mind but he always told me, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’ He was always proud of me and he said, ‘Never worry about me. Just worry about what you’ve got going on,’ and that kind of stuck with me. He just wanted to see me do well.”

Prieskorn caught two passes for 63 yards in the Rebels’ win at Auburn.

“I’ll just keep playing for him,” Prieskorn said. “I have a lot of good family here and around me and back home in Michigan. My wife is keeping me busy and my son is keeping me busy as well.”

Kiffin talked last week of his admiration for Prieskorn, who transferred to Ole Miss from Michigan in January. Kiffin referred to Prieskorn as “a stud” for the way he’s handled such a devastating loss.

“I’ve been going through a lot lately,” Prieskorn said. “I kind of keep football — I just love the game so much and my dad knew I loved the game so much and he just wanted to see me do well and accomplish all my goals.”

Johnson, Perkins earn SEC honors: Johnson’s and linebacker Suntarine Perkins’ gritty performance against Auburn both grossed the pair player of the week honors, as announced by the conference on Monday morning.

Johnson earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after he brought down five tackles and a team-high of two sacks for a loss of eight yards. The senior pushed his career sack total to 15 and is the Rebels’ active career leader.

Perkins netted his first conference award as the Co-SEC Freshman of the Week after he accounted for five tackles, four being solo, including a tackle for a loss of four yards. The Mississippi native leads all SEC freshmen and ranks fifth nationally among freshmen in sacks.

Together, the two limited the Tigers to 275 yards of total offense. The Landshark Defense contained Auburn to just 122 yards passing, the fewest by a Rebel opponent since holding Baylor to 40 in the 2022 Sugar Bowl, and the fewest against an SEC opponent since holding Mississippi State to 108 in 2019.

Texas A&M time set: Ole Miss football’s home game against Texas A&M on Nov. 4 will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN, the league office announced Monday.

Next Saturday will mark the 15th all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The Aggies hold a 9-3 series lead, with the original record being 9-5 before vacated wins.