FILE PHOTO: CADY HERRING Head coach Hugh Freeze speaks with referees during the Memphis game Saturday.
After beating the Memphis Tigers to get to 4-0, Ole Miss is now preparing to face their biggest opponent of the year so far: third-ranked Alabama.
With the win Saturday, Ole Miss secured their first time ever hosting ESPN’s College Gameday. Head coach Hugh Freeze displayed his excitement for hosting the popular college football pregame show number one team in the country at home with College Game Day here,” Freeze said. “That’s going to provide a very festive atmosphere here in Oxford, and we’re excited to showcase our atmosphere in the Grove.”
The big talk last week against Memphis was the Rebels trying not to look ahead to the showdown this weekend against Alabama. Now that Alabama week is finally here, Freeze’s team seems to be focused and energized. Even though the magnitude of the game is great, Freeze thinks a win or a loss is not the deciding factor of the outcome of the season.
“We’ll play extremely hard. Whatever happens with this game Saturday, certainly we can’t make too much out of a win or too much out of a loss,” Freeze said. “There’s a lot of the season left and a lot to play for.”
Senior quarterback Bo Wallace gave his own thoughts on the game.
“We have to win these big games to take our program to the next level,” Wallace said. “We’re going to come into this next weekend prepared.”
Freeze talked more about the team’s chances against the Crimson Tide.
“Hopefully our team will play its best game of the year. It will take that. This is the No. 1 (Ole Miss) and 2 (Alabama) ranked defenses in our conference and No. 2 (Alabama) and 4 (Ole Miss) total offenses,” Freeze said. “Something’s got to give at some point. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Freeze keyed in on some aspects of Alabama’s defense and what the Rebel offense could do to have success against them.
“It’s very difficult to rush the football against them. They’re so well coached, have a really good scheme, a really good plan, and they have really good players,” Freeze said. “You have to be balanced. You have to mix it up. You have to find things that give your kids a chance to do the things you’re asking them to do, but it’s a very difficult defense to do it against.”
He also talked about Alabama’s offense, which has undergone some changes after installing new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin this season.
“They’ve always been very good offensively. They certainly have some different things now to add to that,” Freeze said. “Having the kids that they have make their schemes even better. I know Coach Saban is getting out of his kids what they want. And with Lane they have changed a bit offensively, and it is making them more difficult to defend.”
Junior cornerback Mike Hilton also talked about what he thought of the changes Alabama’s offense has had this season.
“They’re really starting to open up now that they know they have some playmakers on the outside,” Hilton said. “They’re still able to pound it, but they want to pick up the tempo and get the defense a little tired.”
Hilton also spoke about the Crimson Tide’s star wide receiver Amari Cooper, and how the defense needed to account for him.
“He’s a great wide receiver,” Hilton said. “He’s fast. When he blocks, he’s physical, and they get the ball into his hands anyway that they can to make a play. We just know that when he gets the ball, we just have to rally around him and get him down.”
Expectations are high for the Rebels, not only coming from the fans, but from the coaching staff as well. Alabama seems to no longer be a measuring stick.
“In this room, we expect to compete Saturday. We expect to have a chance to win it,” Freeze said. “I know our kids feel that way, and our coaches feel that way. I don’t know that we will. I have no idea what the scoreboard will say at the end, but I expect our kids to go and compete and have fun and do a good job.”
Wallace gave his final thoughts on the game.
“I’m confident going into this game, and I’m confident in our guys,” Wallace said. “We know it’s going to be a big test for us.”
