AUSTIN MCAFEE | The Daily Mississippian
Coach Hugh Freeze looks down the sidelines during a timeout of the football game against Troy on Saturday.
After facing one of the toughest schedules in the country through the first seven games of the season, Ole Miss got a break, facing just one Southeastern Conference opponent in the past three games. However, the schedule toughens up once again this weekend, as the Rebels (7-3, 3-3 SEC) will host No. 8 Missouri (9-1, 5-1 SEC) Saturday at 6:45 p.m. from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“It’s an exciting week for us,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said Monday in his weekly press conference. “You get in this game as a coach and as a player at this level to play in exciting atmospheres, and also against great competition. All of those ingredients are in play for this week. We’re going to enjoy the preparation for it. Hopefully, elevate our kids’ focus for a great task at hand against what I consider to be one of the most well-rounded teams that we faced.”
The Tigers are second in the SEC in scoring offense (41.3 points per game) and fourth in total offense (492.6 points per game).
They rely on good play from their quarterback, and Missouri has two dependable players to man the position. Senior James Franklin has missed the past four games because of a sprained throwing shoulder, but this weekend he will make his first start since receiving the injury. Before the injury, Franklin threw for 1,577 yards and 14 touchdowns with just three interceptions, while adding 290 yards and three touchdowns on 65 carries on the ground.
Redshirt freshman Maty Mauk did a good job filling in for Franklin, as Mauk has racked up 951 yards and 10 touchdowns with just two interceptions on the year. Although Franklin moves back into the starting role, Mauk’s number could always be called. Regardless, Freeze doesn’t think it makes a big difference who is taking the snaps for the Tigers.
“They know who they are,” Freeze said. “They’ve done the exact same things with their second guy that they do with their first one. It’s not like you’re preparing for two different schemes. They have confidence in both of them and have good reason to. The schemes are going to be the same. That helps in that regard.”
While a lot of attention is on the Missouri offense, Freeze and the Rebels will be going up against a solid defense as well.
Missouri is eighth in the SEC in total defense, giving up 386.8 yards per game, but it ranks third in scoring defense, giving up just 20.2 points per contest. The Tigers really do a good job defending the run; they give up just 111.9 rushing yards per game, which is second in the SEC. They also lead the conference in interceptions (17) and sacks (34).
However, Missouri has not done a good job defending the pass this season. They are last in the SEC in pass defense, giving up 274.9 yards per game through the air.
The Tigers’ leader on defense is senior defensive end Michael Sam, who has 34 total tackles, including 10 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
“Defensively, they stop the run,” Freeze said of Missouri. “Very few people have been able to line up and just run the ball effectively. They get you one dimensional. Those ends are quick and cause problems in the backfield. We’ve got to try to find a way to run the ball effective enough so that we can be who we are and want to be and keep them thinking we’re balanced. We’ve been very effective being balanced as of late.”
Rebels finally healthy
Ole Miss has had a plethora of injuries this season, but nearly all of those players who are not out with season-ending injuries are back in the mix.
Last week, senior running back Jeff Scott returned and got snaps at both running back and at punt returner. Redshirt freshman John Youngblood was out against Troy, but he will be back in the fold this week, according to Freeze.
Senior cornerback Charles Sawyer remains the only player in question. Sawyer has missed a lot of time this season with various injuries, but he did some work in individual drills in practice Sunday and will see how he comes along the rest of the week leading up to Saturday.
Nkemdiche honored
Freshman defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche was honored by the Southeastern Conference Monday, as he was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
Nkemdiche, who was the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school last season, has dealt with a hamstring injury, but he looked back into form Saturday. He totaled four tackles in the Rebels’ win over Troy, including two tackles for loss and his first career sack.
“He’s gotten more comfortable as the year has gone on,” Freeze said. “He is getting healthy again. That’s helped. And he’s getting more comfortable with his transition to playing an interior position instead of on the edge. He certainly looked good the other day, and hopefully he’ll play big Saturday night. He’s certainly playing faster and being more comfortable.”
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss football, follow @DavidLCollier and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
–David Collier
thedmsports@gmail.com
