Content about Defensive end

 
Some perspective is required when thinking about where the 2012 Ole Miss team realistically is in the aftermath of Saturday’s 27-26 loss to Vanderbilt that clinched bowl eligibility for the Commodores and put the Rebels’ bowl hopes on hold for at least another week. 
 
Ole Miss has made significant progress under head coach Hugh Freeze, but there are some things that are beyond a coach’s control. 
 
Depth, for example, is one of them. 
 

 
ATHENS, Ga. — With Ole Miss up 10-7 in the second quarter, Georgia had the ball and the momentum after a 66-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Aaron Murray to senior wide receiver Marlon Brown. Then, Ole Miss and Georgia combined for four turnovers in the span of five plays, and while no points were scored off the turnovers, the Rebels missed out on a prime scoring opportunity after the first of the four turnovers.
 

 
The Ole Miss Rebels defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 30-27 on Saturday on the foot of senior Bryson Rose’s 31-yard field goal as time expired. While Rose was carried off the field in triumph, the Rebels’ second-straight Southeastern Conference victory was much more than a one-man job.
 

 
On the field after Ole Miss’ 41-20 win over Auburn, it was apparent just how much it meant to the Ole Miss program to snap its 16-game Southeastern Conference losing streak.
 
Sophomore defensive end C.J. Johnson jumped up and down in the end zone after the win on Saturday, waving a towel and wearing a big smile in the aftermath of his first conference win since arriving in Oxford. 
 

 
Ole Miss went back to work Tuesday afternoon in the Indoor Practice Facility after suffering its first loss of the season to Texas 66-31 this past Saturday.
 
Head coach Hugh Freeze was anxious to see how his team would respond, and he was pleased with what he described as one of their most productive practices of the season.
 

 
With just over a week before its first game, the Ole Miss football team is kicking things into high gear to prepare for Central Arkansas. Head coach Hugh Freeze was pleased with the effort his team put into Thursday afternoon’s practice.
 
“It was good,” he said. “Thought the energy was really good. We were pretty crisp.”
 
Freeze also stressed the importance of quarterback play and taking care of the ball.
 

 
The Ole Miss football team practiced indoors for the second time Monday afternoon after being forced inside by spotty rain. After a slow start to the first practice of the day, the team came out with a new found energy in the afternoon session.
 

After arguably the offense’s best practice of the spring this past Thursday, the defense ruled the day as the offense took a step back in Tuesday’s practice. Head coach Hugh Freeze went on to say the defense’s emotion and energy matched that of the offense from last week, which he said is to be expected, but he was disappointed the offense didn’t compete harder than it did Tuesday.

After a lackluster performance during Tuesday’s practice, the Ole Miss football team came back strong Thursday, said head coach Hugh Freeze.
“I couldn’t be more pleased really,” Freeze said. “The way they bounced back from what I thought was a half-hearted effort. I didn’t think their attitude was bad, but I didn’t think we gave great effort for the entire practice Tuesday.

Now that National Signing Day has come and gone, recruiting junkies only have one thing left to do: wonder. 

Those wonderers will sit around and ask themselves if Hugh Freeze’s recruiting class was good enough or if it will be something that ruins his career at Ole Miss, much like it did Houston Nutt.

With signing day less than a week away, The Daily Mississippian’s Bennett Hipp gives a few of the prospects that are still being pursued by Ole Miss. This isn’t an inclusive list, and names are listed alphabetically.

Richie Brown

Linebacker

Long Beach

Scout.com: 3 Stars

Rivals.com: 4 Stars

Vitals: 6’2,” 228 pounds