Heading into the 2018 season, a cloud of uncertainty surrounded the running back position on the Ole Miss offense. Jordan Wilkins was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, and Eric Swinney was ruled out for three weeks after receiving a mono diagnosis.
Weeks later, there’s no question who the Rebels’ bellcow is now. Scottie Phillips has cemented himself as the top back on the Ole Miss roster, with three games of 100 or more rushing yards, including a 204-yard performance in the season opening win over Texas Tech. Offensive lineman Greg Little spoke about Phillips’ breakout year.
Ole Miss running back Scottie Phillips fights off a Southern Illinois defender during the home opener earlier this season. File photo by Christian Johnson
“Before the season started, I told y’all he was special, if I’m not mistaken” Little said. “He’s learning every week — getting better. I think he’s gonna be our bellcow from here on out. We’re going to be leaning on him a little more now because (Phil) Longo is seeing him doing his job. Longo wants him to get more touches. Our job is to block and let him (Phillips) do what he does.”
Offensive coordinator Phil Longo wants to lean on Phillips’ running game even more, with the offense hitting somewhat of a roadblock lately. The passing game has not been firing like it was at the beginning of the season, and Ta’amu’s confidence is looking down. Nonetheless, Phillips is performing, no matter the competition.
“It feels good, you know,” Longo said. “It’s just, if he could get 100 (yards) in a win, that’d be better. It’s just getting him those yards, getting him rolling, getting him that confidence. That was our biggest thing this year was improving running the ball better than last year, and I think we’re doing a better job than last year.”
Phillips has the type of talent as a ball carrier that makes him almost matchup-proof, and the offensive line appreciates how much easier its job has been with him at tailback.
“His feet are unbelievable,” Little said. “He makes guys miss when we’re on a block and they come off late. He’s got that quick twitch that’ll make guys miss. He helps us out a lot. He’s always going downhill, which makes life much easier.”
That being said, Little spoke about what it’s going to take to overcome the struggles the team has been having lately, as a whole. The defense has looked as dreadful as usual, but the offense has been surprisingly weak and messy.
“We just have to come out here and work — that’s all it is,” he said. “Football has ups and downs. We’re going to have bad weeks, and we’re going to have good weeks. It’s just coming in here and learning little things.”
Moving past a crushing defeat in Death Valley, the squad is looking forward to homecoming on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. Little expressed his excitement at the matchup despite the struggles the team has had.“They (Louisiana-Monroe) play extremely hard. They get after it,” Little said. “They play ruthless, and I like that. I like defenses that get after it. They don’t really care about their bodies. They play reckless, and it’s gonna be a different type of challenge than people think.”
The homecoming game versus Louisiana-Monroe will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
