Although the bye week provides an opportunity for the Ole Miss football team to get physically rested,it also gives the coaches an opportunity to host a scrimmage between the scout team players.
The Rebels hosted a scout team scrimmage on Wednesday, allowing the coaches to see many different player’s performance.
“Anyone that’s on the scout team can play. It was a domination by the offensive unit, so they had some fun for sure,” Freeze said. “We probably worked the defensive scouts a little harder in the tempo stuff. They looked a little more gassed, but it was fun to see everybody get to play around for sure.”
With its bye week, the Ole Miss football team will have extra time to prepare for the LSU game on Nov. 21. (Photo by: Alice Mckelvey)
Freeze said several young players stuck out to him in the scrimmage.
“D-Lodge (Damarkus Lodge) and Van Jefferson. We know that they’re talented, (Jason) Pellerin and DK Buford really looked good, as did Alex Givens,” Freeze said. “I thought Austrian (Robinson) played hard on the defensive side and Shawn Curtis kind of flashed a few times.”
Defensive Coordinator Dave Wommack also complemented Julius’s play, along with Curtis and defensive back Montrell Custis. Wommack also talked about the team’s physical and mental need for a bye week.
Wommack said he couldn’t remember the last time a team he’s coached on has played in 10 straight games.
“You don’t want to come off with a loss, especially a loss like that, but we need a bye week,” Wommack said. “We need the rest, they need to recover.”
Husky Tony Conner returned to the field for the first time since week three after tearing his meniscus in the Alabama game.
“Been off for a long time, rusty a little bit, wasn’t totally like Tony normally is, but that’s kind of the way the whole defense looked to be honest,” Wommack said.
Multiple juniors on the team, including Conner, are projected to be NFL draft picks this April.
“I don’t think that’s even a consideration in Tony’s mind right now,” Freeze said. “I think maybe the media talks about it, but Tony and I have talked and I don’t think he’s even thinking in those terms. He’s thinking let me get myself well and have a great senior year.”
Freeze said he would gather all the facts on Conner’s draft status and talk to him before any decision was made, but that based on his conversations with Conner, he seemed to be leaning towards staying for his senior season.
With the regular season getting closer and closer to its finale, Freeze talked about the impact that the program’s seniors had on the team during their time here.
“Very much indebted to them. We went through the lean times here and didn’t have much to smile about some days,” Freeze said. “Their buy-in to us asking them to do certain things combined with certain core values, without that you don’t get the results that we’ve gotten in the short amount of time.”
