For three straight weeks, this column has written the same number: fourteen. Fourteen missed tackles against Charlotte, fourteen against LSU, fourteen at Florida. On Saturday in Nashville, it was six.
That is the number underneath Ole Miss 52, Vanderbilt 17. Two weeks after Pete Golding stood at the podium and volunteered that his defense had missed 62 tackles for 482 yards — 70 percent of every rushing yard it had allowed — the Rebels spent a bye week on fundamentals and came back missing fewer than half as many.
The pass rush came back with it. Six pressures and no sacks at Florida became 19 pressures, three sacks and four quarterback hits on 77 defensive snaps. Here is what the Pro Football Focus report says, position by position, with the Florida share alongside it.
Offense
Ole Miss ran 69 offensive snaps, 34 of them passes and 35 runs. The starting line played 63 snaps each; the backups finished it.
Quarterback
Trinidad Chambliss played 57 of the 69 snaps before Deuce Knight took over to open the fourth quarter. He finished 20-of-30 for 213 yards, three touchdown passes and an interception, and ran for a fourth score.
PFF was cooler on it than the box score: a 65.6 overall and a 62.7 passing grade, well below the 78.2 he posted at Florida and the 90.2 against LSU. Three touchdown passes to three different targets — one of them a defensive tackle — and still the grade of a quiet afternoon.
Deuce Knight played 11 snaps, five of them runs, after going unused for two straight weeks. It is the first real backup-quarterback snap count since Charlotte.
Running back
| Player | Snaps | Share | vs. Florida | Run | Pass block | PFF offense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makhi Frazier | 30 | 43% | 59% | 79.1 | 73.8 | 77.6 |
| Kewan Lacy | 25 | 36% | 0% | 69.6 | 0.0 | 61.3 |
| Shekai Mills-Knight | 7 | 10% | — | 67.2 | — | 68.4 |
| JT Lindsey | 6 | 9% | 34% | 62.2 | — | 62.1 |
Makhi Frazier was the highest-graded player on the Ole Miss offense at 77.6, with a 79.1 running grade and another strong day in protection at 73.8. He led the team with 13 carries for 73 yards. He sat out the LSU game entirely; since then he has been the most reliable back on the roster in pass protection.
Kewan Lacy came back. Twenty-five snaps after none at Florida, a 69.6 running grade and a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. That is almost exactly the plan Golding laid out a week ago — that Lacy was not going to take “the toll of 40 to 50 snaps” on his return — and it means the rotation behind him is a design, not insurance. The one blemish was in protection: PFF charged him with a 0.0 pass-blocking grade on three snaps.
Shekai Mills-Knight got seven snaps and turned one of them into a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. JT Lindsey, who started at Florida, fell from 22 snaps to six.
Wide receiver
| Player | Snaps | Share | vs. Florida | PFF receiving | PFF offense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deuce Alexander | 39 | 57% | 91% | 70.4 | 73.5 |
| Horatio Fields | 38 | 55% | 38% | 54.3 | 56.8 |
| Caleb Cunningham | 25 | 36% | 25% | 62.4 | 60.4 |
| Johntay Cook II | 25 | 36% | 47% | 55.0 | 55.2 |
| Traylon Ray | 23 | 33% | 33% | 74.6 | 75.3 |
| Samari Reed | 13 | 19% | 22% | 56.3 | 41.7 |
| Darrell Gill Jr. | 6 | 9% | — | — | 70.1 |
Deuce Alexander caught five passes for 74 yards and a 39-yard touchdown on 39 snaps — a 57 percent share, down from 91 at Florida, because there was no reason to keep him on the field in the second half of a 42-3 game.
Traylon Ray graded the best of the receivers at 75.3 on 23 snaps. Horatio Fields climbed back to 38 snaps and posted a 75.9 run-blocking grade, the best among the receivers who played real snaps. Caleb Cunningham took 25, up from 16 at Florida.
Samari Reed is the low mark of the offense: a 41.7 overall, a 31.0 run-blocking grade, and two of the team’s six offensive penalties on 13 snaps.
Tight end
Luke Hasz led the room with 42 snaps and a 61.7 grade, with Caleb Odom at 37 and 54.8. The bigger change was underneath them: Michael Smith went from seven snaps to 19, graded 63.7 and caught a four-yard touchdown — the first of his career in an Ole Miss uniform.
And then there is the one snap that will be remembered. Jamarious Brown, a defensive tackle, lined up at tight end once and caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Chambliss. PFF graded the snap 79.7 as a receiver. More on what he did on the other side of the ball below.
Offensive line
| Player | Snaps | Share | vs. Florida | Pass block | vs. Florida PB | Run block |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terez Davis | 63 | 91% | 100% | 87.3 | 89.4 | 60.9 |
| Delano Townsend | 63 | 91% | 100% | 85.4 | 75.9 | 56.3 |
| Brycen Sanders | 63 | 91% | 100% | 82.8 | 84.7 | 61.8 |
| Connor Howes | 69 | 100% | 64% | 74.6 | 68.8 | 55.3 |
| Patrick Kutas | 63 | 91% | 98% | 73.5 | 75.4 | 58.6 |
| Carius Curne | 6 | 9% | — | — | — | 59.9 |
| Tommy Kinsler IV | 0 | — | 36% | — | 74.3 | — |
The protection held for a second straight week. Terez Davis graded 87.3 in pass protection, Delano Townsend 85.4 and Brycen Sanders 82.8. Three weeks ago Townsend posted a 29.3 against LSU; he has now gone 75.9 and 85.4 since.
The right tackle split is over, at least for one week. Connor Howes played all 69 snaps — the only Rebel on either side of the ball to play every one — and Tommy Kinsler IV is not in the report at all, after 23 snaps at Florida and 27 against LSU. Carius Curne took six snaps at right tackle with the backups. Nothing in a snap-count report says why a player is not in it, and that is the first question of Missouri week on this side of the ball.
Defense
Ole Miss played 77 defensive snaps and charted 30 defenders, up from 23 at Florida — the second half belonged to the depth chart.
The pass rush
| Player | Snaps | Share | vs. Florida | Rush snaps | Pressures | Sacks | PFF defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Purchase | 40 | 52% | 68% | 19 | 3 | 2 | 69.7 |
| Suntarine Perkins | 37 | 48% | 34% | 20 | 3 | 1 | 67.8 |
| Jonathan Maldonado | 29 | 38% | 39% | 15 | 3 | 0 | 70.3 |
| Will Echoles | 41 | 53% | 70% | 25 | 2 | 0 | 60.8 |
| Jayden Curtis | 19 | 25% | — | 12 | 2 | 0 | 69.0 |
| Kam Franklin | 36 | 47% | 64% | 19 | 1 | 0 | 67.3 |
| Andrew Maddox | 22 | 29% | 9% | 14 | 0 | 0 | 49.5 |
| Landon Barnes | 18 | 23% | — | 11 | 1 | 0 | 53.9 |
| Jehiem Oatis | 17 | 22% | 55% | 9 | 0 | 0 | 61.7 |
| Michai Boireau | 16 | 21% | 51% | 6 | 0 | 0 | 64.2 |
| Jamarious Brown | 15 | 19% | 27% | 3 | 0 | 0 | 77.0 |
| Jordan Renaud | 10 | 13% | 21% | 2 | 0 | 0 | 67.7 |
Six pressures became 19. At Florida, two of the six came from the front and the other four came from a cornerback and a linebacker on blitzes. On Saturday the front did it itself.
Blake Purchase had two sacks, a quarterback hit and three tackles for loss, and the official release credits him with the forced fumble that Suntarine Perkins scooped and returned five yards for a touchdown — the first touchdown of Perkins’s career. Purchase graded 79.1 as a tackler.
Perkins went from 26 snaps at Florida, his lowest in a competitive game this season, to 37, with a sack, two hurries and a 76.7 in coverage. Jonathan Maldonado had three pressures on 15 rush snaps, two of them quarterback hits, and the best pass-rush grade on the team at 73.8.
Jamarious Brown posted the top defensive grade on the team, 77.0, on 15 snaps — two tackles, two stops, a 76.4 against the run — and then caught a touchdown pass. Will Echoles played 41 snaps, down from 54, and had two hurries; his rush grade (58.6) still has not returned to where it was against LSU.
Linebacker
| Player | Snaps | Share | vs. Florida | Tackling | Tgt-Rec-Yds | PFF defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Ferrelli | 47 | 61% | 62% | 66.7 | — | 74.9 |
| Keaton Thomas | 47 | 61% | 94% | 56.0 | 2-2-40 | 58.5 |
| Tahj Butler | 36 | 47% | 49% | 36.2 | 2-2-28 | 54.5 |
| Raymond Collins | 5 | 6% | — | 73.6 | — | 69.0 |
| Jarcoby Hopson | 14 | 18% | — | 76.4 | 2-1-(-4) | 33.9 |
Luke Ferrelli was the best linebacker on the field: 74.9 overall, an 86.1 against the run — the best run-defense grade on the team — two hurries on two rush snaps, and seven tackles to share the team lead with Sharif Denson.
Keaton Thomas, who played 94 percent of the snaps at Florida and graded 76.7, dropped to 47 snaps and a 58.5, allowing two catches for 40 yards. Tahj Butler, who led the defense at Florida with a 78.7, graded 54.5 with a 36.2 tackling mark and a missed tackle.
Secondary
| Player | Snaps | Share | vs. Florida | Tgt-Rec-Yds | Coverage | PFF defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Kite | 63 | 82% | 70% | 8-5-62, INT | 69.3 | 70.0 |
| Jaylon Braxton | 51 | 66% | 88% | 5-4-15 | 68.1 | 66.6 |
| Sharif Denson | 51 | 66% | 90% | 2-1-27 | 59.0 | 63.1 |
| Joenel Aguero | 46 | 60% | 45% | — | 66.2 | 64.0 |
| Edwin Joseph | 42 | 55% | 69% | 4-3-57, TD | 53.7 | 57.7 |
| Ladarian Clardy | 32 | 42% | 16% | 1-1-7 | 61.6 | 65.8 |
| Dante Core | 27 | 35% | — | — | 57.8 | 59.3 |
| Nick Cull | 18 | 23% | — | INT | 77.7 | 69.0 |
| MJ Preston | 18 | 23% | — | 2-1-8 | 71.8 | 67.6 |
| Dorian Barney | 15 | 19% | — | — | 71.7 | 75.6 |
| Anthony Robinson III | 14 | 18% | 8% | — | 63.2 | 66.5 |
| Jalyn Crawford | 9 | 12% | 18% | 1-0-0 | 63.0 | 63.8 |
Antonio Kite played 63 snaps, more than any other defender, and was targeted eight times — also more than anyone — allowing five catches for 62 yards with a long of 17 and making his first interception as a Rebel. Nick Cull had the other, his second of the season.
Sharif Denson’s afternoon is the turnaround of the week. At Florida he was targeted eight times, allowed 86 yards and graded 41.8, the worst on the defense. On Saturday he was targeted twice, allowed one catch, made seven tackles and graded 63.1. Jaylon Braxton allowed four catches for 15 yards on five targets and graded 81.4 as a tackler.
Edwin Joseph allowed the only touchdown, three catches for 57 yards on four targets. And the depth showed up: Dante Core, MJ Preston, Nick Cull and Dorian Barney — none of whom played at Florida — combined for 78 snaps. Andy Jaffe, who took 38 at Florida, did not play.
The tackling
The team line: six missed tackles, against 14 in each of the three games before it. Twenty-six defensive stops. Vanderbilt completed 21 of 32 targets for 240 yards, but only 88 of those 240 came after the catch — at Florida it was 129 of 196.
The misses that remain have names. Kam Franklin graded 27.1 as a tackler and Butler 36.2, each with one miss. But for the first time this season, the missed-tackle column is not the story.
The projected chart, based on usage
OFFENSE
- QB — Chambliss, with Knight finally getting backup snaps
- RB — Frazier and Lacy, with Lacy on a managed count; Lindsey and Mills-Knight behind them
- WR — Alexander, then Fields, Cunningham, Cook II and Ray in rotation
- TE — Hasz and Odom, with Smith’s role growing
- LT — Davis · LG — Townsend · C — Sanders · RG — Kutas · RT — Howes; Kinsler’s status open
DEFENSE
- DL — Echoles, Franklin and Maldonado, with Oatis, Boireau, Brown, Maddox and Jayden Curtis rotating
- EDGE — Purchase and Perkins
- LB — Ferrelli and Thomas, with Butler
- CB — Kite and Braxton
- S — Denson, Aguero and Joseph, with Clardy and Cull pushing
What it actually tells us
The bye week did what it was supposed to do. Golding spent it on fundamentals, ran a practice with no defensive calls at all and showed the whole team the Florida tape. The result was six missed tackles instead of 14, 88 yards after the catch instead of 129, and 103 rushing yards allowed instead of 302.
The pass rush came from the front again. Purchase, Perkins and Maldonado combined for nine pressures and three sacks. At Florida, the entire front produced two.
The grades are not a coronation. Chambliss graded 65.6 on a four-touchdown day. Vanderbilt won the second half 14-10, held the ball for 33:56, and converted nine third downs to Ole Miss’s five. Thirty defenders were charted, and a lot of the second half belonged to the back of that list.
And there is one name missing. Tommy Kinsler IV did not play a snap after splitting right tackle for two straight games. Missouri, and a back who ran for 222 yards against Texas A&M on Saturday, comes to Oxford next.
Ole Miss is 4-1, 2-1 in the SEC, and plays Missouri at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2:30 p.m. CT. The Rebels still have not released a depth chart.
Snap counts and grades via Pro Football Focus; team and individual totals via Ole Miss Athletics. Photo: Jamarious Brown, October 10, 2026, at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.
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