Ole Miss wrapped up its spring football period on Saturday, with the defense defeating the offense by a score of 27-21 in the annual Grove Bowl.

Instead of the more common format of the first-team offense and second-team defense facing off against the first-team defense and second-team offense, this year the Rebels were separated by offense and defense and alternated between the two first teams and second teams battling each other. The defense was given 27 points to start off the game.

Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu was the obvious star for the Rebels, connecting on 12 of 20 passing attempts for 190 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 21 yards and one touchdown on five rushing attempts.

Ta’amu took over midway through last season when starter Shea Patterson had a season-ending knee injury. Patterson has since transferred to Michigan, leaving Ta’amu as the full-time starter.

Ta’amu finished with 1,682 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, as well as four rushing touchdowns, in eight games last season.

“I thought he was good,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke said in a postgame press conference. “I thought given the wet conditions he threw the ball well. When he was in there they were pretty successful and they went on a 20-play, 99-yard drive. That’s good to see in the spring, to go on a long drive like that.”

Luke added that he was impressed with Ta’amu’s work throughout the spring.

“I’m just impressed with him,” Luke said. “I just want to continue to work on getting with the receivers and just getting it down to cohesion with the receivers and just continue to build on being the leader of the team. That’s what you see. Everybody is rallying around Jordan, so I just want him to continue to be that leader, and I thought he did a great job with that in the spring.”

Though they didn’t come up with the victory, Ta’amu liked what he saw from his offensive teammates.

“I felt like our offense as a whole progressed throughout the whole spring, and it showed out there in the spring game,” Ta’amu said.

Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf was another standout on Saturday. He caught three passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns, including a 53-yard deep ball he took the distance. On defense, Kam White and Art Mitchell both came down with interceptions, and Mohamed Sanogo lead the team with five tackles.

Overall, Luke said he felt good about how his team looked in the spring.

“A little bit with different guys being out so much, but again, a lot of players got better,” Luke said. “I think that’s what spring is for. It’s for young guys and guys that are inexperienced to get in there and get a bunch of reps, and I thought we did that on both sides of the ball.”

Luke singled out a few young offensive linemen as players who took jumps over the course of the spring, including former St. Aloysius star Ben Brown. Brown did not play a game last season, but is expected to contend for a starting spot in 2018.

“Ben Brown and Royce Newman I thought had a really good spring,” Luke said. “They ran a bunch with the ones. (Tight end Octavious) Cooley got most improved, he had a good spring. Then on defense, I was impressed with how they fit the run and pleased with how they played with a lot of energy today.”