In this week’s edition of Four Downs, The Daily Mississippian football beat writers Matt Sigler and Cody Thomason and sports editor David Collier answer four questions regarding the week’s matchup.
1. What’s the biggest problem that is causing the Ole Miss offense to stall when it has scoring chances?
Matt Sigler (@SigNewton_2): I don’t think there is necessarily one simple thing causing the offense to stall. To me, it is a mix of the lack of a running game the team has had the past two games and the poor execution of delivering the ball to receivers.
Cody Thomason (@TheCodyThomason): The lack of a run game. Either any run attempts have been stuffed, or the Rebels are forced to pass and become one-dimensional. Ole Miss has to keep defenses honest in order to be more successful in scoring opportunities.
David Collier (@DavidLCollier): It’s the offensive line. The past two weeks, defenses have taken away the outside running game, and the offensive line has been torn apart by interior defensive linemen on inside runs. On passing downs, they have not protected Bo Wallace. Another game like the last two, and Ole Miss has no shot of outscoring Texas A&M.
2. What is the best thing Ole Miss can do to slow down the Texas A&M offense?
Sigler: Contain Manziel. He is going to make plays no matter what, it just comes down to limiting the big play. If Manziel burns this defense multiple times, it could get ugly. Also, the defense cannot get down after a big play. They are going to happen, especially up against a high-powered offense like Texas A&M.
Thomason: Somehow force Johnny Manziel to commit turnovers. Ole Miss was able to do this last year. If they can capitalize on Manziel’s sometimes-ill decision-making, they can damage the Aggies’ offense tremendously. Manziel is the key to the offense. If they can rattle him, the rest of the offense won’t be able to stand by itself.
Collier: Hope Johnny Manziel misses the flight to Oxford. But seriously, the only way to make sure Manziel doesn’t hurt you is to keep him on the sideline. Look for Ole Miss to try to control the line of scrimmage against a bad Aggie defense and go slower than normal. If they can have some long touchdown drives, they will not only wear down the Texas A&M defense, but they’ll also keep their defense fresh to chase Manziel.
3. Should Ole Mis fans be worried about the football program going forward after back-to-back losses?
Sigler: No. This is a program on the rise, no doubt. Teams are going to lose games; it’s part of the process. A loss to the No. 1 team in the country on the road and a loss at a formidable opponent in Auburn is not the end of the world. Fans must also notice that the stretch of games during that time were extremely tough.
Thomason: No, because the Rebels still are expected to finish the season with a better record than last year. It’s important to remember that just two years ago Ole Miss went 2-10 and winless in the SEC. Rebuilds take time and fans shouldn’t expect Ole Miss to be dominant this quickly.
Collier: Absolutely not. Hugh Freeze warned everyone there would be ups and downs until they get where they need to be. If they can steal a game this weekend or next week against LSU, they’ll be in great shape. If not, they still have a favorable schedule to improve on last year’s win total.
4. What is the biggest key to pulling the upset over the Aggies Saturday?
Sigler: Once again limiting what Manziel does. He is going to make or break the game for the Aggies, and if Ole Miss somehow finds a way to limit his production and gets their offense back on track against a Texas A&M defense who isn’t particularly amazing, I think this turns into a close matchup that could go either way.
Thomason: Finish the game. Last year, Ole Miss held Johnny Manziel to two touchdowns, while forcing him to throw interceptions. But the Rebels allowed a fourth-quarter comeback resulting in a loss. Ole Miss has struggled finishing all year, but if they can resolve this problem, an upset is feasible.
Collier: Take advantage of every opportunity. If Ole Miss gets the ball in the red zone, they better score touchdowns. If Texas A&M lays the ball on the ground, the Rebels better fall on it. If Manziel throws a ball to an Ole Miss defender, he better get the interception. Ole Miss has to capitalize on everything in this game and limit their own mistakes. If they don’t, it’ll take a near-perfect offensive performance to hang in with the high-scoring Texas A&M offense.
