Offensive Coordinator Matt Luke talks to players as the Alabama game ends earlier this season. DM Photo | Cady Herring
The Ole Miss offensive line has a lot to deal with playing in the Southeastern Conference. The front seven on each SEC defense causes many problems no matter which team it is or which team they are facing.
The Tennessee front seven provides a new challenge for co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Matt Luke and his line.
“I see a very hungry defense. Those guys are competing at a high level,” Luke said about the Tennessee front seven. “They’re very, very good. They’re active and play with a lot of energy and emotion. I’ve been very impressed with their effort.”
The Tennessee defense is a young group, but one that is very aggressive and knows how to get to the football and make plays. The Volunteer defense is fifth in the country in third down conversion percentage, holding opponents to just a .264 conversion rate.
Luke has taken notice of this statistic and gives Tennessee credit for their third-down packages.
“They have good cover guys. They have good athletes that can play man coverage and get after you with the pass rush,” Luke said. “They have a nice little third-down package when they bring in more speed on the field. They’re flying around very hard and playing with an edge.”
Luke credits the Tennessee defense in forcing long third down tries instead of having opposing offense convert third and short for most of the drives.
The offensive line was a concern at the start of the season. With Ole Miss facing two very good defensive fronts in back-to-back weeks in Alabama and Texas A&M, the offensive line was forced to improve drastically, and they showed it in two victories.
Tennessee will be another talented front the Rebels will face. Luke credits the improvements to the play of the interior offensive line.
“I think it’s just trying to get better every week. I know I sound like a broken record, but that’s obviously our goal,” Luke said. “I was very pleased with the way they worked together and handled the crowd noise and all that stuff. They’ve shown a lot of growth since week one.”
When asked about a lineman that he could see get more playing time in the near future, Luke talked about sophomore Robert Conyers who can play tackle, junior Craig Frigo who can play center and freshmen Rod Taylor and Daronte Bouldin who can play both tackle and guard. Luke added that the improvements of these linemen help give him flexibility and depth with the ability to plug in guys and provide fresh legs.
One of the biggest pickups in the famed 2013 recruiting class was top prospect offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil. Now as a sophomore, Tunsil is the anchor of the unit and is considered one of the best linemen in the country.
Luke talked about the improvement Tunsil has made since last year.
“When you have such high expectations, everybody expects it, but he hasn’t disappointed,” Luke said. “He’s improved in his run blocking, and he still hasn’t given up a sack. He’s really good at getting out in space, showcasing his athleticism last week, getting out on screens, reverses and things like that. He’s very versatile.”
Luke also talked about one of the underrated aspects about his offensive line: the athleticism of his group.
“Most of the time you see them out there missing in space,” Luke said. “When you see them out there being able to lock arms and move their feet and run a guy out of bounds or finish a block, it’s fun to watch.”
