Defensive Line
Daniel: The defensive ends played at an incredibly high level. Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen combined for 16 tackles, 6 TFLs and 3.5 sacks. That’s getting the job done. The defensive tackles were relatively solid, but did their job for much of the evening and Jordan Williams had a few nice plays. As a defensive unit, five sacks is a really solid number that will get overlooked due to other aspects of the game. It wasn’t all the defensive line, though the front four did a great job of keeping the heat on Bo Wallace on a pretty consistent basis. Grade: A-
Houston: This group had their best game of the season last night. Ole Miss had no running room up the middle, Bo Wallace was sacked five times and pressured on nearly every drop-back. The starting defensive line of Jordan Williams, Danny O’Brien, Corey Vereen and Derek Barnett combined for 21 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last night and never allowed Ole Miss’ offense to find a rhythm. If you weren’t sure after the first half of the season, Derek Barnett is a bonafide star in the making for this defense. Barnett tallied 10 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks last night going against a future NFL first round draft pick in Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil. Great night by this group despite the loss. Grade: A
Average Grade: A
