The old adage that you might need a roster to learn the players on your team proved accurate as Ole Miss opened the 2022 football season. New names and faces were an important part of the outcome as the Rebels defeated the Troy Trojans 28-10, on Saturday afternoon.
Coming off a 10-win season and a Sugar Bowl appearance, the Rebel lineup was dotted with newcomers and transfers who helped kick off the third year of the Lane Kiffin era with a victory. A total of 27 new Rebels made their debut on Saturday, helping push Ole Miss to its 10th straight home victory dating back to Nov. 14, 2020 – the longest home winning streak in program history since winning 33 in a row from Nov. 1, 1952 to Nov. 7, 1964.
Defensively, junior TCU transfer Khari Coleman was a one-man wrecking crew in his Rebel debut, terrorizing the Troy backfield with 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks on eight total tackles – marking just the third time since 1999 that a Rebel has notched at least 5.0 tackles for loss, joining Mark Robertson’s 5.0 in 2021 and Kendrick Clancy’s 6.0 in 1999. Coleman led a Rebel defense that stifled Troy to just 60 yards rushing on 33 attempts, the fewest allowed by an Ole Miss defense since stuffing Mississippi State to 39 yards on 16 attempts in the 2020 Egg Bowl in Oxford on Nov. 28, 2020.
The Ole Miss running game started off hot and never looked back, notching 266 of the Rebels’ total 433 yards of offense on Saturday. Junior TCU transfer Zach Evans led the way with 130 yards on 20 attempts, while freshman Quinshon Judkins impressed in his collegiate debut, ending with 14 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Up next, the Rebels will stay home to host Central Arkansas next Saturday (Sept. 10th) at 6 PM CT.
Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin met with the media following the game. Hear what he had to say right here. Video is courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics.