OXFORD — Mark Robinson made the switch from running back to linebacker, not knowing precisely how it would work.

Months later, Robinson is a starting linebacker for No. 13 Ole Miss. The Leesburg, Georgia, native has recorded 25 tackles, including a career-high eight in the Rebels’ dramatic 52-51 win over Arkansas this past Saturday in Oxford.

“It’s been a long journey,” Robinson said Tuesday, as he and the Rebels (4-1 overall, 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference) get ready for a Saturday night showdown in Knoxville against Tennessee (4-2, 2-1). “The whole time, there were a lot of days when I didn’t see results, so it taught me to be humble. So now that I’m in a position that I never thought I’d be in, I just go back to the things that got me here — stay humble and keep working, never be satisfied, never get to high and never get too low.”

Robinson’s close friend and former high school teammate, Otis Reese, talked Robinson into making the transfer to Ole Miss. Robinson had his doubts, but he said the decision to move to Oxford “came down to my faith.”

“I thought I was coming in to take Snoop (Conner’s) spot,” Robinson joked, referring to the Ole Miss running back. “I just had to trust it was best for me to move to linebacker to be the best player I could be.”

Robinson and the Rebels will be tested by a Tennessee offense that averages 253.7 yards per game rushing and another 220.3 yards per game through the air.

“Every week, it’s us versus us,” Robinson said. “Every week, if we go execute and prepare like the coaches make sure we do and we go out there and make sure we do what we’re coached to do at a high level, it does’t matter who we’re playing. That’s just the mindset we have to take on the field.”

Braylon Sanders had one thought as Matt Corral’s long pass headed towards his hands Saturday.

“‘Don’t drop it. Don’t drop it,’” Sanders said. “When you’re running that wide open and it’s a big game, your focus is just to catch the ball first and then use your legs after that.”

The 68-yard touchdown pass ended up being the game-winner versus the Hogs, who scored on the final play of the game and failed to convert a potential game-winning two-point conversion.

Sanders finished with two catches for 127 yards, giving him 12 receptions for 292 yards and three scores so far this season.

“It’s all a blessing,” Sanders said. “I’m just staying the course and putting my head down and going to work each and every day.”

Ole Miss center Orlando Umana knows to expect noise — lots of noise — Saturday in Knoxville.

“I just hope everyone knows their job pre-snap,” Umana said. “Everyone has to communicate more, especially me, and we get it down the line.”

The Utah transfer said it’s been difficult at times adjusting to the fast pace of Lane Kiffin and Jeff Lebby’s offense, “but I’m getting used to it, just getting to the ball as fast as I can, getting the play and making the calls. It’s still a work in progress but I’m getting better every day.”

Umana and the Rebels’ front was borderline spectacular against Arkansas, dicing the Hogs for 611 yards of total offense. A similar effort might be needed against the red-hot Vols.

“We still have a lot more,” Umana said. “We left a lot of yards on the field. We just have to fix it up and do better next week.”