College Football

Phillips, Ta'amu show Ole Miss has more than just receivers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:50 p.m. ET

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Mississippi coach Matt Luke never seemed overly concerned about rebuilding his team's running game during the offseason, even though the Rebels were losing 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Wilkins.

Turns out his confidence was justified.

The Rebels did a lot of things right during their convincing 47-27 win over Texas Tech on Saturday in Houston, but it was the emergence of junior running back Scottie Phillips that was arguably the most unexpected success story.

Phillips ran for 204 yards — a record for an Ole Miss running back in his debut — and scored two touchdowns, giving the Rebels some balance to complement quarterback Jordan Ta'amu and an elite group of receivers.

Luke said Phillips had shown signs of being a quality running back.

"The word I've been using is cautiously optimistic, because I've seen a lot of really, really good things in the spring and in fall camp, but it was good to see him," Luke said after Saturday's game. "He has short, quick bursts, but he also has the breakaway speed that he can finish it when he breaks the line so really, really pleased to him have some success."

Ole Miss' much-celebrated receiving trio of A.J. Brown, DaMarkus Lodge and Metcalf was as good as advertised on Saturday, combining to catch 17 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

Now add Phillips — and the quality decision-marking of Ta'amu — and these Rebels could be a dangerous team during Southeastern Conference play.

"It really was about Jordan Ta'amu making good decisions about where to go with the football," Ole Miss offensive coordinator Phil Longo said Monday. "And sometimes that means handing it off. Scottie did a good job with his 16 carries."

Longo's praise for Phillips is a bit of an understatement. The 5-foot-11, 211-pound Phillips averaged more than 12 yards per carry and scored on runs of 39 and 65 yards.

Ole Miss (1-0) hosts Southern Illinois (1-0) on Saturday, giving them one more game to fine tune the offense before No. 1 Alabama comes to Oxford on Sept. 15.

The Rebels were also pleased by Ta'amu's continued success on Saturday. The senior was 22 of 32 passing for 336 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Red Raiders.

Longo said Ta'amu wasn't perfect, but provides the maturity and consistency the Rebels need to win.

"One of his best assets is his ability to focus on just each individual play," Longo said. "He has a bad day yesterday, it's not affecting today. He has a bad play on first down, it doesn't affect second down."

NOTES: Jaylon Jones is out for the season with a torn ACL, dealing a big blow to the Rebels' defense and special teams. Jones had a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown before his injury. He was also a huge part of the secondary, capable of helping at both cornerback and safety. ... Luke said both Lodge and linebacker Devontae' Ruggs are in concussion protocol, and will be questionable for Saturday's game.

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