Coach Hugh Freeze . (PHOTO BY: ARIEL COBBERT)
Saturday night will feature a matchup of unbeaten teams when third-ranked Ole Miss takes on 25th-ranked Florida in Gainesville.
After a lackluster performance against Vanderbilt, the Rebels will be looking to bounce back and have a big day in the Swamp, where, in 2008, the Rebels were Tim Tebow’s and the Gators’ only loss in a National Championship-winning season for the University of Florida.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to go to Florida and play a really quality football team. These games, just like I said the other week, test you and your team,” Freeze said. “The environment tests you. When you have a quality opponent that is very well coached and very confident right now, a team that is ranked in the Top-25 right now, it is going to test you.”
Freeze gave an update on the team’s injuries, where the offensive line has been hurting depth-wise after some injuries and the still-uncertain status of junior offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil in his ongoing online casino NCAA investigation.
“As far as offensive linemen, we’d love to have Justin Bell, Rod Taylor and Laremy Tunsil back as soon as possible. We are missing those three guys. They are some of our more experienced, athletic guys,” Freeze said. “Bell is going to try and go this week for sure. Taylor looked better yesterday. It just takes time for him to get his shoulder strong enough for him to play with confidence. He is getting stronger each day and could probably help us with 20 or so snaps for this week.”
Freeze did have an update on Tunsil’s situation, although there is still no timetable for his return.
“I know that I have been told that progress has been made in Tunsil’s situation last week,” Freeze said. “We are all pushing to get him back on the field as soon as possible.”
The Ole Miss offense faced two very good defenses in a row against Alabama and Vanderbilt, and they won’t get a break on Saturday when they face Florida. Freeze said the defense, led by junior cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, is one of the best in the entire nation.
“They are only giving up 17 or 18 points per game. They have tremendous get-off on the defensive line. Jonathan Bullard has eight tackles for loss and multiple sacks,” Freeze said. “I think playing in front of their crowd, on their field, when you have to communicate there, it is very advantageous for their defensive line.”
“Their linebackers are extremely athletic and everyone knows about their back end,” Freeze said. “They are definitely one of the best defenses in the country and they are going to test us for sure.”
There was a lot to learn and build upon after the close call at home against Vanderbilt last Saturday. Freeze gave his final impression on the Vanderbilt game and what to learn from it.
“After watching last week’s film, credit to Derrick Mason and his improving squad. They are really doing a nice job. He is going to do well,” Freeze said. “We have some things we need to improve on. Hopefully, we can get kids healthy so we can get them excited for a trip to Gainesville.”
