OXFORD, Miss. - Questions about its struggling defense consumed Mississippi all week.
The maligned Rebels answered some of those by ending a four-game losing streak with a 24-0 victory Saturday over Louisiana Tech. It was Ole Miss' first shutout since 2003, but the victory over the struggling Bulldogs didn't offer Coach Ed Orgeron much comfort.
"We're not going to hoot and holler about all this today," Orgeron said. "We're playing in the SEC. You shut out an SEC team, a good team, and there may be a lot of hooting and hollering going on. But not until then."
The Rebels (2-4) still have reason to be proud. The inexperienced defense stopped their losing streak by holding the Bulldogs (1-4) to 301 yards after spending the week working on assignments and tackling.
The offense had been carrying the Rebels much of the season, but against Louisiana Tech, the defense helped the team overcome three interceptions by Seth Adams and a season-low 232 total yards.
Adams completed 16 of 32 passes for 167 yards and touchdowns to Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge, but his interception total was a career high. Louisiana Tech also held Ole Miss running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis to 54 yards rushing.
"It was more attention to detail," Orgeron said of the defense's improvement. "A lot of work went on this week inside the offices, and our coaches really did a good job getting our guys' attention, addressing the things that were wrong and demanding that they were fixed."
Struggling quarterback Zac Champion threw for 144 yards on 16-of-27 passing, but was unable to lead the Bulldogs to a score. The closest they came were two failed field-goal attempts.
Danny Horwedel missed a 42-yard attempt in the third quarter. Ole Miss' Brandon Jenkins blocked a 36-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter, and Dustin Mouzon returned it 55 yards for Ole Miss' final score.
Daniel Porter rushed for 51 yards for the Bulldogs, and Patrick Jackson added 48.
"Frustrating is an understatement," said Louisiana Tech Coach Derek Dooley, whose team committed 13 penalties for 117 yards. "I told the team not to get frustrated, and I was probably more frustrated than anybody."
A Louisiana Tech fumble on its second offensive play helped Ole Miss take a 7-0 lead.
Defensive end Marcus Tillman fell on Louisiana Tech center Lon Roberts' errant snap. Three plays later, Adams hit McCluster on a deep slant for a 28-yard touchdown just 1:32 into the game.
It was the first touchdown since Sept. 30, 2006, for Mc-Cluster, who missed the first four games of the year with a shoulder injury and the last six games of last season with a neck injury.
After Joshua Shene put Ole Miss up 10-0 at halftime with a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter, Adams hit Hodge for a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter for a 17-0 lead.
Ole Miss junior linebacker Ashlee Palmer, who led the defense with a career-high 15 tackles, said the team's first shutout since a 31-0 victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 27, 2003, was important for the unit's mind-set.
"It gives us more confidence going into the Alabama game, and I think we really needed a shutout today," Palmer said. "We really emphasized tackling. The last two weeks tackling has killed us, but I think we did a great job of that today."
Sports, Pages 39 on 10/07/2007