Notes: Moore happy with late switch, happy with role at Ole Miss

OXFORD -- Elijah Moore flipped from Georgia to Ole Miss very late in the recruiting process.

Months later, after stepping into a big role for the Rebels as a true freshman, Moore said he's happy things worked out the way they did.

Moore, a 5-foot-9, 181-pounder from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., saw his role increase when D.K. Metcalf went down for the season with a neck injury. Moore set an Ole Miss freshman record with 11 catches for 129 yards in the Rebels' 48-44 loss to South Carolina this past Saturday. Moore said he benefited from the presence of A.J. Brown and DaMarkus Lodge on the outside, allowing him to do damage in the slot.

"Those big-time guys take pressure off me," Moore said Tuesday following the Rebels' practice preparing for Saturday's 11 a.m. game at Texas A&M.

Moore said the late switch to Ole Miss was "the best decision I could have made. Being committed to Georgia, it was no shame to them or anything. I feel like Ole Miss felt like home when I came. My parents were in love with it. The coaches, no matter what, kept in contact. It was just a good leeway both ways. It was just something I felt comfortable with and it was a choice I had to make."

Moore will be a huge factor in Ole Miss' offense next season, so he said he's sponging with from Brown, Metcalf and Lodge while they're still in Oxford.

"They've taught me a lot," Moore said. "The more I get to learn from them, I get to use in my game. Always attack the ball, speed up your routes, stuff like that. They taught me not to make so many moves, just trust your speed and stuff like that."

Moore has 23 catches for 295 yards and two touchdowns so far this season.

"I like the pressure," Moore said, adding he models his game from NFL stars Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. "They know how to get open all the time. They're small guys who play like big guys. They know how to score."

Ole Miss defensive line coach Freddie Roach said Tuesday the Rebels' defense, despite its struggles, is still working to fix the issues that impact it.

"There's no quit in these guys and there's no quit in this staff and we're going to continue to work until we get it done," Roach said. "I think there's plenty of time left. We have three important ballgames that we're capable of going and getting the job done. So we've got to keep working."

Ole Miss defensive end Qaadir Sheppard became an Internet sensation when he flopped twice, drawing a penalty in the Rebels' win over Arkansas last month.

The acting job was so good Sheppard got an invitation from Impact Wrestling's Dixie Carter to try professional wrestling when his football career ends.

"That's something I'm going to look into," Sheppard said. "I'll be The Rock or something."

For now, Sheppard is focused on fixing Ole Miss' defense.

"Guys just have to recover better and focus on the little things," Sheppard said. "Some dudes just have to be more vocal. That's basically it."

Sheppard said the Rebels' morale is good but he admitted Ole Miss is "definitely hurt by our losses and we're trying to be positive and look forward to the next thing and not dwell on past mistakes."