The Ole Miss football team returned to practice Tuesday afternoon, as it prepares for Saturday's Southeastern Conference opener against No. 1 Alabama.
Junior Barry Brunetti took first-team snaps at quarterback, while sophomore Bo Wallace was sidelined with a right sprained shoulder that he suffered this past Saturday against Tulane.
"Bo could've done some stuff today, but we just weren't going to," Freeze said. "He wanted to, but we just told him no."
Freeze said on Monday that he expects Wallace to be ready to go by Saturday, but if not, Brunetti would get the nod. Brunetti was 5-of-7 passing for 45 yards against Tulane, but Freeze said he still has a way to go.
"We just need more consistency, particularly in the passing game," Freeze said. "Hopefully, we'll get him there. We'll go watch film with him tomorrow in meetings, make sure we answer all of his questions and make sure he understands all of his progressions."
Freeze said he expects Wallace to get some reps in Wednesday's practice, but it all depends on how his shoulder feels.
Other injury notes
Senior defensive tackle Uriah Grant returned to practice on Tuesday and will be good to go on Saturday. Freshman defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton remains sidelined with injury, but Freeze expects him to play against the Crimson Tide.
As for junior wide receiver Korvic Neat, the Rebels' second-leading receiver with 14 catches for 151 yards, it doesn't look good.
"Korvic, I'm not optimistic about," Freeze said. "I just think we would irritate that and make it be long term. I think we just need to get it well."
Rebels prepare for hostile environment
Freeze was pleased with the effort his team gave on Tuesday as they get their first taste of life in the SEC.
"We let the defensive go live a period there, and they really looked good," Freeze said. "I thought it was a good start in our preparation for both sides and the special teams.
"The kids that have been in this league for a year or two understand it quite clearly. Some of these young ones have no idea what to expect, but they'll find out on Saturday night that it's a little different level of excitement, energy and intensity."
Ole Miss practiced under the noise of crowds blaring from the speakers on the sidelines to prepare for the noise and atmosphere of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.
It will be the Rebels' first game in a hostile environment this season, but junior offensive tackle Emmanuel McCray isn't worried about it.
"Coach gives us the worst possible scenario out here in practice," McCray said. "We have our own little system on the offensive line, and I think we'll be fine."
Ole Miss is 30-plus point underdogs on Saturday, but freshman running back Jaylen Walton isn't ready to count the Rebels out yet.
"Anything is possible," Walton said. "All we have to do is worry about us, keep working hard every day and keep doing what our coaches tell us to do. Coach will come up with a good game plan for us to compete and try to win."
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss football, follow @thedm_sports and @DavidLCollier on Twitter.
Wallace sits, Brunetti takes first-team snaps
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