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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Gates, Haynes Earn SEC Weekly Accolades
11/23/2015 | Football
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - With the Landshark defense playing a major factor in Ole Miss' 38-17 victory over No. 15 LSU, a pair of Rebels collected weekly honors from the Southeastern Conference office.
Sophomore linebacker DeMarquis Gates earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week accolades, while classmate Marquis Haynes was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. The sophomore duo led a Landshark defense that collected seven TFLs, 10 pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in the Magnolia Bowl win.
The SEC honored Gates for the first time this season, while Haynes became the conference's defensive lineman of the week for the third time in 2015. Less than two complete seasons into his Ole Miss career, Haynes has already collected a total of five SEC weekly honors.
In just his second career start, Gates posted a team-high 14 tackles to go along with a pass breakup and a QB hurry. The Hampton, Georgia, native made things difficult for Heisman candidate Leonard Fournette, forcing him to his third-lowest rushing output of the year. Despite only a pair of starts, Gates has played in all 11 games this season and leads the Rebels with 62 tackles.
Like he has done all season long, Haynes disrupted the opposing offense with constant pressure on the line. The Jacksonville, Florida, native filled the stat line by tallying four tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and a QB hurry. In the 21-point victory, Haynes increased his season total TFLs to a team-high 13.0, ranking third in the SEC with 1.36 per game in conference matchups. The defensive end also leads the Rebels with 8.5 sacks, the seventh-most in a single season in Ole Miss history.
Gates, Haynes and the rest of the Rebels now look forward to another rivalry contest on Saturday night. No. 19 Ole Miss hits the road to face in-state foe No. 22/23 Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Kickoff is set for 6:15 p.m. on ESPN2.
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