The Ole Miss football team started off the season relatively well in terms of injuries, but the Alabama game was more rough than the first two weeks.
Junior safety Tony Conner, senior offensive lineman Justin Bell, freshman offensive lineman Rod Taylor and junior Robert Conyers also sustained injuries against the Crimson Tide.
Conner went through successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus this week, leaving him out for a minimum of four weeks. Head coach Hugh Freeze gave an update on Conner after the surgery.
“Doctors felt really good about it and he was in good spirits last night, so hopefully we can get him back quickly,” Freeze said.
Freeze also updated the status of the offensive lineman for the game against Vanderbilt.
“They’ve all practiced with the exception of Bell,” Freeze said. “So, they’re going to give it a go. I don’t know about Bell yet.”
With Conner out, the husky position will be manned by sophomore A.J. Moore, senior Chief Brown and freshman Zedrick Woods.
Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said he was proud of their performance thus far and doesn’t anticipate a single one of them taking the bulk of Conner’s reps.
“I think we’ll alternate them in there. I’ve been pleased at how fast Zedrick has been able to learn, because he hadn’t really played that (husky) spot,” Wommack said. “We almost put him there when we got him here in the summer, and we decided to go ahead and put him at rover, but its amazing to me that he hasn’t made more mistakes in practice. He’s doing a great job.”
“You lose a Tony Conner, no matter what its difficult to replace him, but I feel very confident in all three of those guys being able to play that spot,” Wommack continued.
Vanderbilt had a rough start to their season so far, going 1-2 with losses to Georgia and Western Kentucky, but Freeze and Wommack still see the Commodores as a formidable opponent for this Saturday. Both coaches praised the play of wide receiver Trent Sherfield and quarterback Johnny McCrary, with Freeze pointing out Sherfield’s speed and athleticism.
“He’s a good athlete, a good route runner, and the quarterback played really well too and that helps receivers play well,” Freeze said. “The quarterback can extend plays and is athletic.”
Wommack even gave a little insight in to how the defense planned to contain McCrary when breaking down the Vanderbilt offense.
“I think he’s a good SEC wide receiver. I think their quarterback’s outstanding, and their backs, they’ve got a nice receiving core,” Wommack said. “Any time you have 200 yards receiving in a game, you might get a little double coverage there.”
Overall, Freeze did not see the Vanderbilt team as an easy opponent by any means, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“They’re one of the top in the nation right now in points per game and not giving up many yards. (They) played a really good Georgia team and battled them for two-and-a-half quarters toe-to-toe,” Freeze said. “I think we’ve got a fight coming for sure. I’m expecting a very difficult football game.”
