OXFORD | Hunter Elliott didn't have his best stuff.

His command and control were off relative to Elliott's normal self, and it wasn't the pristine work of his first two outings this season. It might have, however, been the exact thing Ole Miss needs as the season moves forward.

The Rebels coasted past Wright State, 9-1, and Elliott contributed with five scoreless innings. He's yet to allow a run through 16 frames this season since returning from Tommy John recovery.

It was that he did it and how he did it -- both of those contributing to what is so critical about his presence on the Ole Miss roster.

"The great ones do it, the Nikhazys, the Lance Lynns, the Pomeranzes, the Bittles, they aren't always perfect, and you have traffic, but those guys come out on their own accord," Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. "You don't knock them out of the game... (Elliott) runs off the field. No one has to clean up the mess."

The past two seasons, as the Rebels combined to go 17-43 in the SEC, Ole Miss didn't have a pitcher who could take over a game with elite stuff and surely didn't have one who could throw up zeroes despite command issues.

Elliott's reputation is simply getting outs. He competes his tail off, throws multiple pitches in and around the strike zone and fights and leads while on the mound. That has been missing in all ways with this program since the national title season.

"He's so good and his stuff is so elite, but even when he's in those pinches, you just wonder how Houdini will do it," said Judd Utermark, who had three RBIs and a 455-foot home run that left the bat at 112 MPH. "It's awesome watching him."

The Tupelo native allowed only one hit and struck out seven. Out of Elliott's five walks, only one of them got in scoring position. He retired two straight after a walk in the second inning, three straight after a leadoff walk in the fourth and two straight via strikeouts after a one-out walk in his final inning.

Wright State's one real chance came in the third, when the Raiders doubled with one out, and Elliott walked the bases loaded with back-to-back free passes. On a 0-1 pitch, the left induced a 6-4-3 double play to escape the inning.

Elliott threw 49 strikes and 40 balls for his season-high 89 pitches -- a 55 percent strike percentage and 18 percent lower than last week. He's given up six hits in his 16 innings.

"I had to fight a little bit, but you have to compete and still throw up zeroes," Elliott said. "I've always been solid at overcoming adversity. The next step is a little more consistency."

The Rebels have their ace, one who can shut down opponents on his best days and work through innings on his average ones. It hasn't been the only missing link, but it's a critical one that seems to be present as the Rebels chase a return to the postseason.