Freshman wide receiver Laquon Treadwell has attempted three passes this season. He hasn’t completed one to any of his teammates, but he did manage to find the hands of Eddie Jackson of Alabama.
Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell attempts a pass during the first half of the Alabama game Sept. 28.
Photo by Thomas Graning | The Daily Mississippian
Ole Miss first debuted Treadwell’s arm in the first quarter against Texas. It was first-and-10 from the Texas 47-yard line. Treadwell overthrew a deep pass, and Ole Miss would go on to score on the drive to take a 14-0 lead. No harm done.
Except Rebel head coach Hugh Freeze wanted to keep putting Treadwell in a position to throw the football.
So a game later, immediately after picking up 26 yards via a pass from junior quarterback Bo Wallace, Treadwell lined up in the backfield, took a handoff and looked to complete a pass 10 yards down the sideline to junior wideout Donte Moncrief.
Not only did Jackson, the corner covering Moncrief, not bite on the run action that Ole Miss created, but Alabama safety Ha’Sean “HaHa” Clinton-Dix was in position to make a play on the pass.
This play was drawn up for a freshman receiver to throw an accurate pass between a corner and a safety 10 yards down the field. The result was predictable. An interception.
That was an encouraging enough result for the coaching staff to call on Treadwell to throw another pass this Saturday at Auburn. On third-and-goal from the Auburn five-yard line, Treadwell took the ball on a reverse and looked to throw a fade route to senior quarterback Barry Brunetti.
Most of the time a nonquarterback is asked to throw a pass, it is a deep pass that is supposed to be wide open, a pass that doesn’t require accuracy. But Treadwell has been asked to make two touch passes in tight areas.
Treadwell has not been put in a position to succeed when asked to throw these passes. That’s on the coaching staff.
Having the freshman wide receiver throw the ball isn’t the only way that Treadwell has been misused. He has had two carries this season, one against Southeast Missouri State that went for seven yards and another against Alabama on fourth-and-two. Treadwell did not pick up the two yards needed to keep the offense on the field.
Treadwell lined up in the backfield multiple times against Alabama — he even had a reception coming out of the backfield — but ultimately, the formation with Treadwell as a back was ineffective.
When asked about lining Treadwell up the backfield, Freeze was not overly forthcoming with what advantage Ole Miss was looking for in that formation.
“That was a way we felt like we could run the ball out of that personnel group to make them honor the run,” Freeze said following the loss to Alabama.
Ole Miss’ usual rushing attack was shut down by Alabama as it rushed for 46 yards on 23 carries. Treadwell offered a different look that could have had more success than senior running back Jeff Scott or sophomore running back Jaylen Walton.
But Ole Miss was struggling because Alabama was taking away the outside runs. Alabama was forcing Ole Miss to run the ball between the tackles, something that the current roster has struggled to do.
Is Treadwell the answer to running the ball up the middle? No. You wouldn’t risk the health of one of your top receivers by having him run the ball into the teeth of the defense.
That’s the point. Treadwell is one of the top receivers for Ole Miss. Not quarterback. Not running back.
Freeze is forcing the ball into Treadwell’s hands. Treadwell is a talented player who deserves the ball. But he deserves to get it in a situation that maximizes his ability to make plays.
If Ole Miss wants to get him the ball in space, they can run a play that is already a major component of the Rebel offense. Ole Miss runs the wide receiver screen numerous times per game. They ran it three times in a row on two separate occasions against Vanderbilt. The screen is developed to get a receiver the ball quickly and let him make defenders miss.
Ole Miss has been desperate to get the ball into Treadwell’s hands in creative ways. But the creativity hasn’t worked, and it needs to stop. Treadwell needs to get the ball as a receiver only.
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