Mississippi head coach Hugh Freeze reacts during an NCAA college football game against Alabama in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014. Ole Miss won 23-17. (DM Photo | Cady Herring )
There’s a lot to be happy about recently if you’re a student at Ole Miss or a resident of the city of Oxford.
Fall is in the air, homecoming is coming up and spirits are at an all-time high with the football program being ranked 3rd in the country.
Two straight wins against top 15 ranked opponents has earned the Rebels bragging rights, making them one of the best teams in the Southeastern Conference and in the country.
Making the College Football Playoff in it’s first season in existence is a realistic expectation for the rest of the season.
Head coach Hugh Freeze was pleased with the performance of his team at practice on Wednesday.
“It was very good,” Freeze said. “I continue to enjoy the way our team is preparing for games. The leadership of our team seems to continue to make sure our kids are staying on task and staying in the moment and understanding that each day has a life of its own. That’s all we can do to prepare for Saturday.”
The defense has been the bright spot this season for Tennessee, giving up 19.2 points per game, good for 19th in the country.
Freeze had high praise for Tennessee senior middle linebacker A.J. Johnson, who has recorded 68 tackles so far this season with one interception and 5.5 tackles for losses. Freeze called Johnson one of the better linebackers in the conference and in the country.
Freeze gave a lot of praise for the Tennessee defense also, saying that the defense is very aggressive up front, and they’re aggressive the way they battle downhill to stop the run.
“They’re an extremely talented defense,” Freeze said. “It will be tough to sustain drives against them. They’ll be a great challenge.”
Offensively, Tennessee has struggled. The Volunteers average 28 points per game, good for 82nd in the country, and are near the bottom in rushing yards per game.
Even though Tennessee has struggled offensively, Freeze gave praise for many of the skill players.
“Offensively, they have tremendous skill people at receiver and tailback. The quarterback has had a good year. The team has struggled to protect him at times,” Freeze said. “That’s the one thing they have struggled on. There’s no question the talent around them is solid, and they play with great passion and hunger. It’s only a matter of time before they start winning some football games.”
There have been moments and instances where the 2014 Tennessee football team has reminded Freeze of his team in 2013; a team that is continuing to build and improve on for a breakout year.
“I think they have recruited well, and they’re in every game. Just kind of like we were,” Freeze said about the comparisons between Tennessee and the 2013 Rebels. “Just got to find a way to keep winning, building depth right, and I’m sure they will in time.”
Freeze talked about the tempo of his offense and how it has helped his team ever since he arrived in Oxford.
“The first two years, we’ve lead the SEC in number of plays in my two years here,” Freeze said about his offense. “Last year, we had quite a few negative plays that were bad schematically. I’m more conscious right now of the calls we make.”
The offense has managed the game more recently instead of putting up 40 to 50 points per game like this offense is capable of. Freeze credits that to the defense.
“When our defense is playing like it’s playing, you just make sure you manage the game from an offensive perspective,” Freeze said. “It gives us the best advantage to win.”
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones had high praise for Freeze earlier this week calling his team the real deal. Freeze talked about Jones and complimented the way he has built the Volunteer program so far.
“Coaches that have better players usually become better coaches,” Freeze said about Jones bringing talented players to Knoxville. “The thing that has impressed me about what he’s (Jones) done is not only assembling talent but playing with great heart and passion.”
