The ranked 4-0 Gators look to swamp the Rebels this Saturday with a momentum matchup in Gainsville.
Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said he was impressed with the team, especially on defense, where the Gators are ranked 22nd in the nation in total defense.
“They’re a lot like us: very athletic, very fast movement, tremendous get-off – particularly at home when they know they’ve got you in a silent cadence issue,” Freeze said. “Their defensive line has got really good get off, their defensive backs are as good as you’ll see. The whole defense is very talented. They can run, and they tackle well. And it’s just one of the better defenses in the country.”
Freeze gave an update on the Rebel’s offensive line, where junior center Robert Conyers, sophomore guard Rod Taylor and senior guard Justin Bell are all dealing with injuries.
“We don’t expect to have Justin Bell as he hasn’t been able to practice yet,” Freeze said. “Rod is going to go. He’s looked better; he’s going to give it a shot for sure. There’s some things he’s really good at and others he’s still coming along, but he’s definitely better than he’s been. Conyers is going to gut it out. He’s a tough dude; he’ll go.”
The team is also missing junior husky Tony Conner, who recently had surgery after tearing his meniscus against Alabama. Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said sophomore A.J. Moore and freshman Zedrick Woods have done well replacing him.
“I mean they’re not Tony because they don’t have the experience, but I thought they did some really good things in the game and rose up at the right time,” Wommack said.
Wommack broke down the Gators offense which performed well in a big comeback against Tennessee last week.
“They’ve got speedy receivers, a good back, and they’re starting to play with confidence at 4-0,” Wommack said. “They won a big game last weekend, and they’re on a little bit of a roll, so they’re feeling good.”
The Gators’ offensive line seems to be a bit behind the rest of the offense, as it has already given up eight sacks this season.
“I think being young is the issue for them right now,” Wommack said. “I think there’s some talented guys in there. They had two freshman start, and everybody knows what that’s like. But I have seen them improve from game one to game four, so I think they’ll continue to get better each and every week.”
Wommack said he felt that Florida’s freshman quarterback Will Grier is a great fit with the offensive line because of his ability to scramble and get outside the pocket. He said he is impressed with what he saw from Grier in their comeback victory against Tennessee.
“When you can come back two touchdowns with four-and-a-half minutes left in the game, something is going right for you,” Wommack said. “Again I think the combination of the quarterback, the receivers and the running back makes them dangerous because they can score quickly, obviously, and we have to do a great job down there in the swamp.”
