Ole Miss defensive back Chief Brown (8) intercepts a pass during the first quarter of a game against LSU on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Oxford, MS. Ole Miss won 27-24. (The Daily Mississippian, Austin McAfee)
Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze was absent from Monday’s weekly press conference due to “personal business,” but Rebel offensive line coach Matt Luke stepped in and spoke to the media Monday afternoon.
“Coming off of the Arkansas victory, we’re very, very excited about being bowl eligible,” Luke said. “We’re excited for our players and our fans. Being bowl eligible two years in a row is part of our goals. I don’t think we’re satisfied, but obviously very excited about that. In some areas of the game we maybe played a little bit sluggish (against Arkansas). The guys stepped up and made enough plays to win. As you guys know, any victory in the SEC is a good victory. We’re very, very proud of that.”
Luke said Ole Miss came out of Saturday’s win over Arkansas “relatively healthy,” and there are only a couple of players in danger of missing the Rebels’ game against Troy, which is scheduled for an 11 a.m. kickoff Saturday.
Freshman defensive end John Youngblood was injured early against the Razorbacks and is questionable for this weekend, according to Luke. Sophomore safety Chief Brown is probable after getting a stinger Saturday. Senior running back Jeff Scott did not play again Saturday due to a bone spur in his back which is causing a nerve to flare up in his leg, but Luke said Scott will try to practice this week and they’ll see if he will be available this weekend.
Now, Ole Miss turns its attention toward the Troy Trojans, who come into this matchup with a record of 5-5.
“We’re excited about playing Troy,” Luke said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Troy and Coach (Larry) Blakeney. He always has a great program and does a great job. He’s got a tremendous senior quarterback in (Corey) Robinson. He’s very, very good. They’ve got a good receiver and running back. They’re good on defense. They’re impressive. They play a lot of man coverage and blitz a bunch.
“We’re going to have our work cut out for us and have to do a really, really good job to beat those guys.”
With Troy coming to town, this will be another week where the Rebels are jumping in and out of Southeastern Conference play. A lot of times, that type of schedule can make it hard for a team to focus on each opponent week in and week out, but Luke doesn’t think that will be an issue for Ole Miss.
“We have to focus on us and getting better,” Luke said. “That’s the main thing. Again, we do want to finish going up. To do that, each game has to be an improvement. There are certainly a lot of areas for improvement from the Arkansas game. That’s a good thing. It’s always good to teach them things coming off a win, especially coming off a win inc-onference. Our goal is to focus on us and to get better. We want to finish these last three games playing our best football.”
Tunsil honored by SEC
Ole Miss freshman offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week Monday after helping the Rebels rack up 531 yards of total offense, including 419 passing yards in their win over Arkansas.
Tunsil, who was the No. 1-ranked offensive tackle in the country coming out of high school, quickly emerged in the Ole Miss starting lineup and has shown why he was so highly thought of.
“He’s ultra talented,” Luke said of Tunsil. “He fought through being sick all week. Still, when you turn the tape on, you don’t see any drop off. He hardly practiced any this week. I’m very fortunate to coach a guy like that.
“He’s one of those guys that doesn’t come along very often. You’re just excited to coach a guy like that. He’s unbelievably talented. But not only that, he’s a great young man. He goes to work every day. He doesn’t feel entitled. He’s just a great kid and a great player. He’s very deserving of the award and fortunate he’s getting some of that recognition.”
Ole Miss vs. Missouri time set
The SEC announced Monday the television times for games on Nov. 23, and the Rebels’ battle with No. 9 Missouri is set for a 6:45 kickoff. The game will be televised by ESPN.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss football, follow @DavidLCollier and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
-David Collier
thedmsports@gmail.com
