Ole Miss defensive back Charles Sawyer has been arrested on a DUI charge and was also charged with running a stop sign in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to insideolemisssports.com. Sawyer sat out Ole Miss' home game against Southeast Missouri State on Saturday, nursing an injury.
Rebels coach Hugh Freeze indicated he is in the process of gathering information about the arrest.
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Losing Sawyer for any amount of time, particularly with Ole Miss approaching back-to-back road games at Texas and at Alabama, could be a major blow to the Rebels' pass defense. Sawyer, a senior and a preseason All-SEC pick, is Ole Miss' most experienced defensive back. He made 63 tackles and nine pass breakups a year ago.
Even with Sawyer, the Rebels showed some significant gaps in pass defense while allowing 300 yards passing to Vanderbilt two weeks ago, including a career-high 178 for Commodores star receiver Jordan Matthews. Sawyer made two tackles in that game.
Sawyer is undersized at 5-11, 178, but with the versatility to play safety or cornerback, he is considered a fringe prospect for the 2014 NFL Draft.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.