Ole Miss Safety Trey Washington Credits Rebel Coaches For Improved Pass Defense

Ole Miss safety Trey Washington has seen the Rebel defense cut down on penalties in recent weeks thanks in large part to coaching and practice.

Oct 26, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Jadon Canady (28) reacts with defensive back Trey Washington (25) after a fourth down stop during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ole Miss has been the talk of the college football world this past week, and for good reason.

The Rebels jumped up to No. 11 in the newest College Football Playoff Rankings, which were released on Tuesday. The jump comes on the heels of one of the biggest wins in program history, a 28-10 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs.

Ole Miss veteran safety Trey Washington played a key role in the win.

The senior from Trussvile, Alabama, has 45 tackles, 29 solo and 16 assisted, alongside a forced fumble this season. In Saturday's contest, Washington recorded 6 tackles, all of which were solo, and his performance undoubtedly helped push the Rebels over the top despite a costly facemask penalty that kept a late Georgia rally alive.

"I was happy for a second, but then I grabbed his facemask and I knew what it was,"
Washington said earlier this week. "When that happened, my teammates Yam Banks, Pooh [Chris Paul Jr.], did a really good job consoling me and making sure we're onto the next snap and playing good football after that"

Penalties had been a major issue for the Rebels earlier this season, but thanks to Lane Kiffin and the coaching staff finding an innovative way to coach them out of the defense, they haven't been an issue in recent weeks.

"It's the coaches," Washington said. "They do a really good job of emphasizing not holding, and we've been wearing tennis balls during practice so we can't hold. It's because of them, and it's because of us being mindful of it during the game, and we'll continue to get better at it."

The practice Washington is referring to is the taping of tennis balls to the hands of Rebel defensive backs so that they are physically unable to hold but can still tackle and swat passes away. This has helped the Rebels earn a spot in the top-40 defenses in passing efficiency.

On Saturday, Ole Miss was only penalized three times for 30 yards as a team, and playing cleaner football like this down the stretch can help them on their quest to reach the College Football Playoff.

The Rebels have an open date this week and will return to action on Nov. 23 to take on Florida in Gainesville. Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on ABC.