Linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste Expressed Leadership in Rebels' Win Over Tulane

Senior linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste was made available to the media on Tuesday.

UCF Knights transfer Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste expressed leadership in the locker room during halftime, helping spark the Ole Miss Rebels to a second half comeback on Saturday vs. the Tulane Green Wave. As Pete Golding's new defense has taken time to implement, Jean-Baptiste felt accustomed to it.

“I am acclimated, I'm more so of a vet. I just play ball and play my game,” Jean-Baptiste said. “I wasn’t really nervous or anything like that, just bucking on and playing my game.”

Going into halftime trailing by 10 to Tulane, a second half adjustment was crucial. Despite being a newcomer on the Rebels defense, Jean-Baptiste exemplified leadership, communicating to his teammates in the locker room.

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“We went into halftime, my statement to the guys myself, I was like, 'The game isn’t over,'" Jean-Baptiste said. "This is what we've got coaches for, we’re going to make adjustments.”

This was all the defense needed to hear, holding the Green Wave to just a field goal in the second half and adding to the offense with a defensive touchdown on a scoop-and-score.

The Rebels shift focus off Tulane this week as they head back home this Saturday to face Georgia Tech. The defense has been persistently studying film, trying to find the weaknesses of the Yellow Jackets offense.

"(Haynes King) is a solid quarterback," Jean-Baptiste said. "We are going to do things in order to bottle him up and make decisions. They are obviously a respected team, and we are going to go into this week treating them with respect and like any other opponent.”

In two games with the red, white and blue, Jean-Baptiste has recorded six total tackles, four coming against Tulane this past week. The Rebels and Jean-Baptiste look to continue the early season success and keep the train rolling into the core of their schedule. 

Kickoff between the Rebels and Yellow Jackets is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.