In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, it was the Ole Miss defense that served as the bright spot for the Rebels in the disappointing loss on Saturday.
The defense showed vast improvement from last season, when the squad ranked toward the bottom of the FBS defensive rankings.
Defensive coordinator Mike McIntyre’s new 3-4 defense allowed 13 points out of 15, all of which were scored in the first half.
An improvement from last year, however, it was still not good enough as the Rebels allowed 364 total yards, making way for 128 rushing yards and one touchdown from Memphis running back Patrick Taylor Jr.