LIVE! From the Manning Center: Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, John Saunders Jr. and Dayton Wade
Ole Miss heavily rotated its linebackers in its season-opening blowout win over Mercer.
The Rebels mostly did the same at Tulane a week later. But, if nothing else, the leashes at least appeared to be longer and more forgiving for starters Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste and Monty Montgomery in a 37-20 come-from-behind Ole Miss win.
Sources indicate the surprising, limited usage of Suntarine Perkins — who was ranked by On3 as a Five-Star Plus+ prospect in the 2023 recruiting class — was punishment for an off-the-field incident from earlier in the week. He played less than double-digit snaps at linebacker after leading the Rebels in tackles in the season opener. Mostly, he was relegated to special teams.
Veterans Ashanti Cistrunk and Khari Coleman mixed in, to be sure. But for two weeks, the Rebel defense, under first-year coordinator Pete Golding, has leaned on Jean-Baptiste and Montgomery to man the middle of a 4-2-5 base.
Jean-Baptiste and Montgomery were two members of a deep off-season transfer class for Ole Miss that finished ranked among the nation’s best. Jean-Baptiste came to Ole Miss from UCF and Montgomery from Louisville.
They’ve both started each of the season’s first two games.
“I’m acclimated, but I’m a vet,” Jean-Baptiste said Tuesday following the team’s most recent practice in advance of Georgia Tech. The Rebels host the Yellowjackets Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
“I just play ball. I wasn’t nervous or anything like that. Just buckle down and play my game, honestly.”
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Jean-Baptiste is currently seventh on the Rebels in tackles.
Ole Miss, defensively, has started strong enough, too. Sure, the Rebels gave up touchdowns and ugly, 60-plus-yard bust plays on both opening drives of the first two games. Still, on both occasions, they rebounded and all but dominated.
Ole Miss, for example, fell behind 17-7 at Tulane. The Rebels outscored the Green Wave 30-3 from there. Mercer never once reached the Red Zone.
“My statement (at halftime at Tulane) to the guys was, ‘The game isn’t over. This is what we’ve got coaches for. We’re going to make adjustments, so limit those big plays,’” Jean-Baptiste said.
“We just sat down and buckled down and finished the job.”
Perkins will likely be more involved this weekend.
Cistrunk and Coleman aren’t going anywhere, either. They’re first and second, respectively, on the team in tackles.
But, so far, the linebacker room begins with Jean-Baptiste and Montgomery and flows from there.
“The guys behind me better be as good as me if you want to go win this thing,” Jean-Baptiste said. “Whatever helps the team win, I’m down for it. Nobody complains about the rotation.”
Jean-Baptiste and Ole Miss teammates John Saunders Jr. (safety) and Dayton Wade (wide receiver) all met the media Tuesday. Here’s everything they had to say.
