Coming into last Saturday’s contest against Vandy, there was a reasonable expectation that Derek Mason’s defense could potentially limit an explosive Rebel offense that had just reestablished its footing the week before against Texas A&M. Up until that point, the Commodores had specialized in preventing opposing offenses from getting the most out of possessions, even if they could drive down the field at a consistent rate.
Ole Miss wasn’t supposed to have issues moving the ball, as Vandy was slightly worse than the national average in terms of efficiency, allowing a success rate of 41 percent and 5.