Defensive Notebook: Rebels Defense Makes Its Presence Felt vs. Troy

Ole Miss defense hounds Troy all game, limiting it to one touchdown.

OXFORD, Miss.-- The No. 21 Ole Miss Rebels soundly defeated the Troy Trojans 28-10 at home this Saturday.

The entire Rebels’ defense was swarming the ball from the Trojans’ first possession to the final whistle. During training camp, several players on the Rebels mentioned how fast this defensive unit was, and it was obvious in Week 1.

Let’s look at a few things that stood out in the Rebels’ win over the Trojans.

Khari Coleman and Troy Brown were everywhere

Coleman and Brown made their Ole Miss debuts and did not disappoint. Coleman was a member of the TCU Horned Frogs last year, and Brown was with the Central Michigan Chippewas. 

Both players had to learn a new system and mesh with new teammates this offseason, but nobody could tell with the performances they had against the Trojans on Saturday.

If a tackle was being made, No. 8, Brown, or No. 23, Coleman, were probably a part of it. Coleman left his mark on this game with eight tackles and two sacks. Brown was also extremely active, finishing the game second on the team in tackles with 11. 

Tysheem Johnson shines 

It is important to have defensive backs that can tackle, but it is a luxury when they are willing to do it every game. 

Johnson is entering his sophomore season at safety for the Rebels and is coming off a freshman year that saw him post 47 tackles. While nearing 50 tackles is a solid freshman season, he seemed to make it clear in this game he plans to blow that number out of the water.

Johnson and every Trojan ball carrier were nearly inseparable on Saturday. He finished the game with a team leading 12 tackles. 

Defensive unit plays together

The Rebels acquired a lot of new faces this offseason. While the quarterback battle seemed to make most of the headlines during fall camp, the defense has new players at every level.

While the competition from Troy won't compare to the SEC, it is a positive sign when the Rebels handle business the way they did on Saturday with a defense full of new guys.

No matter which Rebel player got credited for the tackle, it seemed like there were multiple blue jerseys in or around the play. Gang-tackling occurs with defenses that have good chemistry. This was an impressive outing for the Rebels’ defense.

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