It was an emotional victory against Alabama for the Rebels. The Crimson Tide refused to give up, leading to a nail-biting finish with the victor unclear until the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
“On three different occasions, I really let my mind go where it should never go, that maybe the game is over, and they showed their character,” Hugh Freeze, head coach, said. “That comes from their coaching staff and their players, and they fought for 60 minutes, which is something to be proud of, also. And really we had to fight to get out of there with a win, so credit to them.”
Freeze said he was especially proud of the offense and the poise they showed during the game.
“Zero turnovers in that environment and seven explosive plays, I thought was really good,” Freeze said. “We have a saying around here, that if a break comes our way, we score. We did that.”
“I was really pleased with the confidence I felt from the offensive guys on the sideline. Momentum would shift back and forth, as it does when two good teams are playing,” Freeze said. “I really felt like they had confidence that they could go back out and score. (They) didn’t seem to be too concerned as far as in a panic mode or worried, seemed petty confident, I like that.”
Although Freeze said he was pleased with the upset of the number two team in the nation, he pointed out that plenty of mistakes were made.
“On the negative side, we were not very good on third downs, missed several opportunities to have explosive plays, so we’ve got to get those corrected,” Freeze said. “(We) played against a really good defensive front that made third downs difficult.”
Freeze summed up his feelings about the game.
“We’re really happy to win, there were a lot of positives, but we can play a lot better,” Freeze said. “This is a great week for us to really ratchet up the expectations and demands from our coaching staff. Hopefully, we can improve this week.”
With the Alabama game behind them, its time for the Rebels to turn their attention to coach Derrick Mason’s Vanderbilt Commodore team.
“We play a very dangerous team this week in my opinion. Derrick’s team is playing extremely hard for him defensively,” Freeze said. “I think they’re really good; they’re only giving up 17 points a game, only 270 yards per game. They’re very multiple, really thought they held their own really well against an outstanding Georgia team.”
Freeze praised the Commodore defense, saying they play “extremely hard and have a really good scheme.” He said the offense is not to be underestimated, either.
“Offensively, I think their quarterback is coming into his own,” Freeze said. “He’s throwing the ball extremely well right now, so it’s going to be an interesting game for us.”
Starting “Husky” Tony Conner suffered a knee injury during the Alabama game and will miss significant time recovering.
“We’ll be without Tony Conner for a minimum of about four weeks,” Freeze said. “Tony is going to have surgery tomorrow for a meniscus tear in his knee.”
Freeze said offensive lineman Justin Bell and Robert Conyers and cornerback Tony Bridges are all questionable this week as well.
“We’ve got some issues there, but we have to handle them. It’s part of adversity,” Freeze said. “We’ll get the ones ready to play that we have, that will take a little juggling around, but it’s time to get ready for the next one.”
