Ole Miss closed out spring practice Saturday afternoon in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with the annual Regions Bank Grove Bowl. The Rebels took part in four situational sessions that rewarded each side of the ball a point for a series win. The offense came away with the win over the defense, 15-12.
“I’ve obviously coached a lot of spring practices, and I can’t remember one being better in the area of effort,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said. “There are obviously a lot of things we can clean up, but I certainly believe that we got the most effort out of the young men that we put on the practice field for 15 days.
“It was extremely physical and extremely competitive for 12 of the days. I’m really pleased with the effort. That competitive nature will go a long way in taking whatever the next step is in our program.”
That effort was apparent throughout the day, which saw big hits by the defense and big plays by the offense. The biggest play of the day came from junior running back I’Tavius Mathers, who broke off a 96-yard run. Mathers ended the day with 121 yards on four carries.
“I’Tavius Mathers is just special,” Freeze said. “We’ve got some good backs. (Saturday), he made a phenomenal run. (Friday), he made a run where he made two guys miss in space. That guy has improved.”
At quarterback, senior Bo Wallace led the way, going 10-for-21 for 152 yards and a touchdown.
Redshirt freshmen DeVante Kincade and Ryan Buchanan continued to battle for the backup spot. Kincade finished with 57 yards on 5-of-8 passing with a touchdown and 38 yards on the ground on six carries. Buchanan tallied 100 yards passing, going 6-for-10 through the air.
Mississippi wide receiver Laqoun Treadwell (1) fights off defensive back Derrick Jones (19) during during the annual Grove Bowl scrimmage in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, April 5, 2014. (Photo/Thomas Graning)
“I look forward to watching film between Ryan and DeVante,” Freeze said. “They both do different things. Ryan has some natural pocket presence that’s hard to teach. He’ll hang in there and knows where it’s supposed to be. You saw Kincade do a lot of things with his feet. He’s got a strong arm. I’m excited that we have that competition going on.”
Sophomore Jeremy Liggins also turned some heads at quarterback, as the 6-foot-3, 296-pounder was used in several short-yardage situations.
“You saw that he has some natural gifts that a big man like that normal doesn’t have,” Freeze said. “We’ve got to manage just what physically he’s going to look like and how we’ll use him best to help our football team. I’m sure glad we have him on our team.”
A couple of other players who impressed offensively were sophomore tight end Evan Engram and sophomore running back Mark Dodson.
Engram had 77 yards on two catches on the day, but a 68-yard catch on a pass from Wallace was one of the biggest highlights. Dodson had nine yards on two carries, but he also hauled in two passes for 69 yards.
Defensively, senior safety Cody Prewitt led the way with 10 tackles and two forced fumbles. However, two true freshmen impressed, as defensive end Marquis Haynes had seven tackles, including two sacks, and safety C.J. Hampton finished with five tackles.
”Our team certainly changed at mid-year when we got Marquis Haynes, Fadol Brown, Anthony Alford, C.J. Hampton and those guys,” Freeze said. “Our team just changed the way it looked.
“Last year, we lost C.J. Johnson. I really don’t know how many times we won a one-on-one pass rush from that point on in the season. Not that our kids weren’t trying. You’ve got to be able to win some one-on-ones, and you have to have some natural quick speed. Marquis Haynes has that now. He reminds me of C.J. coming out of high school.”
Now, the Rebels will concentrate on the summer workout program with strength and conditioning coach Paul Jackson before hitting the field again in fall camp in August.
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