After a 31-13 win over Southeastern Missouri Saturday, Ole Miss jumped into the rankings at No. 25. However, the next few weeks will show what this Rebel team is made of with a gauntlet of a schedule staring them in the face.
The first test Ole Miss will face is Texas, which rolled the Rebels 66-31 in Oxford last season. The Longhorns are coming off a disappointing 40-21 loss to BYU Saturday.
“We’re excited to be 2-0 and to be going to Austin,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said. “It will be a great atmosphere, and (Texas) will have a chip on their shoulder. Texas will be ready to prove that they are better than they performed last week. We understand what we’ll get from them. We’ll have to challenge our kids to see if we can raise our game and match Texas’ level of intensity.
“It’ll be a hostile environment, and we have to prepare for several in a row. But it’ll be a good experience for us, and I know our kids and coaches are looking forward to it and we’re ready to go.”
The biggest issue for Ole Miss will be the secondary that gave up 326 yards and four touchdowns through the air to Texas quarterback David Ash in last year’s matchup.
The problems got worse for the Rebels this weekend, as multiple media outlets reported over the weekend that senior corner Charles Sawyer was arrested for DUI.
“I haven’t talked with him yet, but I’m going to meet with him,” Freeze said. “He’s left me a message. He is very emotional and disappointed in himself, and we’re disappointed in his decision. Young kids make mistakes. He’s one of the finest kids on our team, but he made a mistake and there will be consequences.”
Freeze said he will handle Sawyer’s discipline in-house.
Offensively, the Rebel offense won’t know exactly what the Longhorn defense will look like.
After Texas’ loss to BYU, head coach Mack Brown fired defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and replaced him with Greg Robinson, who has coached at Texas and Michigan under the same title.
It’s unlikely the Longhorns can change a lot schematically in one week, but Freeze said his gut tells him the biggest change will be in situational, particularly on third downs and in the red zone.
“It certainly is an uncomfortable feeling,” Freeze said. “We already had a shell of a game plan together based on what they had done last year and early this year. Is it still a good plan? I don’t know.
“Greg Robinson has been in this a lot of years. He’s been there so he probably knows their terminology. We’ve watched his stuff from other schools where he’s been. It is quite a bit different than what they have been doing. We’ve got to be who we are and try and figure it out.”
Defensively, Freeze knows there are several things they have to fix. He specifically mentioned they have to limit missed assignment that lead to easy touchdowns.
Although this game with Texas doesn’t matter in regard to the Southeastern Conference standings, Freeze said it’s “big” since the Rebels have started recruiting the state of Texas more extensively.
A big key for success against the Longhorns will be the physicality with which Ole Miss plays. Last year, Texas hit the Rebels in the mouth, but Freeze thinks his squad is more prepared for a big nonconference game this year.
“We’re certainly deeper at some spots, and mentally I do think we are further along,” Freeze said. “I think having year a half with (junior quarterback) Bo (Wallace) playing is good. After Texas last year, he played some very big games at good places in this league. So I believe that has got to better prepare him for Saturday’s game.
“We think that the same goes for the rest of our team. I feel confident that we’re better prepared. I’m confident that we’re better prepared both mentally and physically.”
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