Yurachek's Comments on Ole Miss Come to Fruition About Hogs

NIL, coaching, talent, all come up trumps for Rebels in beatdown over Razorbacks

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin points at his players during game with the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek's comments about Ole Miss' NIL program in September were seen as interesting at the time. Now, after Arkansas' 63-31 shelling at the hands of the Rebels, the comments are more eerie foreshadowing.

"Ole Miss has about 5,000 members in their football collective," Yurachek said in September at the Little Rock Touchdown Club. "We have about 1,000 in our football collective right now."

"Ole Miss has 5,000 people in their collective. We have 1,000."@HunterYurachek says, "If we're really gonna get a handle on this NIL and remain competitive, we need to rally people across this state." pic.twitter.com/XWzB6sAs3n

— LR Touchdown Club (@LRTouchdownClub) September 16, 2024

Well, if NIL directly equates to wins, Yurachek's comments definitely ring true. Ole Miss' vaunted defensive line filled with talent, who racked up eight sacks, led by two each from defensive end Princely Umanmielen and linbacker TJ Dottery.

Arkansas meanwhile, for all the things that defensive coordinator Travis Williams has done well, he's slipping into a dangerous pattern. Ole Miss has 18 sacks in the last two games, Arkansas has 19 on the entire season, including just one against Jaxson Dart, allowing him to sit in the pocket and pass for 515 yards.

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding and Williams inherited similar messes when they took over at their respective schools in 2023. Both were ranked in the bottom half of most defensive categories, including yards allowed and scoring defense.

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin (left) shares a laugh with defensive coordinator Pete Golding (right) during warm ups prior to the game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

In two years, Golding has turned his unit into arguably the premier defensive unit in the conference, while Williams' unit allowed touchdowns on seven of eight drives, including four in a row.

This isn't just a one-off poor performance from Williams' defense. Once the calendar turned to November last year, Williams' unit allowed 405.5 yards of total offense against Florida, Florida International, Auburn and Missouri in 2023. Pittman is confident that the team won't spiral out of control.

"I believe in our kids and I believe in our coaches," Pittman said about his defense. "We’ll go look at it and see if we can’t get it fixed. I believe we can."

The offensive situation wasn't much better, while Ole Miss scored all its touchdowns, Golding's unit forced back-to-back three-and-outs.

If Ole Miss is the blueprint, Arkansas may still be stuck on step one. Yurachek's comments about Ole Miss go beyond NIL. The Rebels may have five times as many NIL members, but they also have exponentially in multiple other facets of the entire operation of running a football program.

Arkansas welcomes No.6 Texas to Fayetteville hoping for a better showing. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov.16. The game will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN.

HOGS FEED:

• Just a Whippin': Razorbacks Had Plan Until Hit in Mouth

• Arkansas' last line of defense had its most difficult day

• Razorbacks Help Unknown Ole Miss Receiver Equal SEC Record

• Ole Miss Quarterback Throws Darts All Over Arkansas Defense

• Razorbacks Drop TCU Scrimmage, Season Opener Wednesday

• Live Blog: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. TCU Horned Frogs

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