Pittsburgh kept Donte Moncrief from going off the way he did against LSU and Mississippi State.
It wasn’t that the Rebels didn’t try to get him the ball. They were unable to do so downfield. Moncrief finished with six catches, tying Ja-Mes Logan for the most on the team.
His yardage, though, was just 31 yards.
Mississippi wide receiver Vince Sanders (10) celebrates with teammate Donte Moncrief (12) after scoring a touchdown against Pittsburgh during the first half of the BBVA Compass Bowl NCAA college football game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
When Moncrief isn’t catching the bombs, he can also up his numbers by slipping a tackle at the line of scrimmage. Much of the tempo offense centers around the idea that a receiver can make one man miss.
Though Vincent Sanders made that happen on his 18-yard touchdown catch — slipping a defender near the line of scrimmage — that didn’t happen too many times against a Pitt defense that ranked in the top 25 nationally in all major categories and really was pretty good.
All in all it was a good day by the Ole Miss receivers as Bo Wallace completed 67 percent of his attempts (22-for-32).
Moncrief had 13 catches for 334 yards and five touchdowns in his final two regular season games against LSU and Mississippi State.
Denham Springs, La., native, Mississippian since 1989 with a stop in Meridian before arriving in Tupelo. Daily Journal beat writer since 1996, covering Ole Miss since 2002. Proud Northeast Louisiana alum. Follow me on Twitter @parrishalford and listen to Kory Keys and myself daily with The Ole Miss Beat on Rebel Sports Radio.
