In the loss to Florida, the offensive line for the Ole Miss Rebels struggled all night against a very talented Gators defensive front that head coach Hugh Freeze said he was worried about facing.
The run game wasn’t great, but much of that can be attributed to the Rebels playing from behind and having to attempt to score quickly through the air. On those passing plays, however, quarterback Chad Kelly was constantly under pressure having to hurry his throws, finishing the game 26 out of 40 passing for one touchdown and one interception.
“They were a very quick, attacking defense up front, and we got behind and had to throw it,” co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Matt Luke said. “They did a nice job with their pass rush, but they outplayed us. We dug ourselves in a hole early and we couldn’t get out of it.”
Luke said the Florida defense did play excellently, but his line’s struggles contributed a lot to the subpar performance.
“They did a nice job,” Luke said. “They mixed in some early pressures, and kept us off balance, but again, we have to execute.”
The team also struggled in the redzone for the second week in a row, specifically in a short yardage situation where they had to settle for a field goal.
“We have to figure out a way to get the ball in the endzone, whether it’s through a naked (bootleg) or to run it wide, we have to figure out a way to get it in there or get in the jumbo set and power it in there,” Luke said. “When you get down there and get in close you have to score a touchdown. We came out and had a good drive to start the second half and we’ve got punch that in right there.”
Freeze also gave his thoughts on the damaged offensive line that was missing senior Justin Bell, had several players limited due to injury and is still without tackle Laremy Tunsil due to an ongoing NCAA investigation.
“We’re playing some young kids up there, and that’s a really good defensive front,” Freeze said. “Everybody has some young kids and everybody has some injuries and nobody really wants to hear that. We’ve got to get the ones we have prepared to play, and play better.”
Freeze said that even with the injuries, the line’s preparation had to be better.
“Chad was under a lot of pressure, Justin couldn’t go and Javon (Patterson’s) ankle was bad, and Rod (Taylor’s) shoulder, he hurt us on some pressures where he’s not wanting to use his arm,” Freeze said. “Credit to them, and we’ve got to get our guys better prepared.”
