Coming off the bye-week, Ole Miss’ secondary will get a much-needed bolster as sophomore defensive back C.J. Miller returns from injury.
Miller has been sidelined with a nagging ankle injury for the past few weeks, forcing him to miss both the Arkansas and Auburn games. The bye-week, however, provided an extra week for Miller to recuperate. Along with the bye-week, the emergency-addition of Armani Linton to the secondary allowed him to take a patient approach in his return to the field.
Ole Miss defense tackles Auburn running back Jatarvious Whitlow earlier this season. Auburn won the game 31-16. File photo by Christian Johnson
“Yes, (the injury) did kind of did (linger),” Miller said. “We just tried to take a little bit more time cause we had to get back into SEC play and we had Armani (Linton) to come help and make some plays and step up at that position to give me a little more time to get ready.”
Linton has been a pleasant surprise to this point in his return to the secondary. He moved from running back, back to his original spot with the defensive backs earlier this season due to a plethora of injuries in the group.
“I feel like he stepped up,” Miller said. “He’s taking the role well. He already knew the plays from last year and he just came back from running back.”
Miller’s return will also affect how the coaches use defensive back Myles Hartsfield, a versatile player who can play all of the positions in the secondary.
“Having C.J. back really helps us out because Myles is a guy that does a lot for us,” assistant coach Jason Jones said. “(Hartsfield) can play strong safety, free safety, nickel (or) we can put him at corner. It sort of frees us up if a guy needs a (break) at a certain spot we can plug Myles in. So getting C.J. back is a big boost to the defense.”
At Tuesday’s’ practice, Miller noted the Rebels’ lack of physicality during the second half of the Auburn game. Miller watched from the sideline as the Auburn offense put up 21 points on Ole Miss’ defense in the third quarter en route to a 31-16 Rebel loss.
“During the second half I didn’t feel like we were physical enough,” Miller said. “Everybody played like they could, but we just had to get that week out of that bye-week, and now I feel like everyone is ready to come back and go.”
Jones agreed with Miller, echoing his sentiments about needing physicality from the defense, and specifically the defensive back group.
“That’s what we (started talking about) last week during the bye,” Jones said. “When you’re playing in the SEC, you have to play the game a certain way. It’s a physical conference, this is a physical game and you have to play physical, you have to play it for 60 minutes. That’s what we’ve been talking to the guys about for the last two weeks, and that’s what we expect when we go out (on the field).”
It has yet to be seen if the Ole Miss defense can play physically for a full 60 minutes. The Rebels have held only one of their opponents, Kent State, to less than 20 points so far this season. If the Rebels want any shot at competing in their final four conference games, the defense must play with more physicality and consistency down the stretch.
