Head coach Hugh Freeze and players rush the field last week against LSU.
Photo by Tyler Jackson | The Daily Mississippian
After enduring a rough four-game Southeastern Conference grind, Ole Miss (4-3, 2-3 SEC) will get a quick break for homecoming this weekend as it takes on the Vandals of Idaho (1-6). The Rebels are coming off an upset bid of then-No. 6 LSU, while the Vandals enter the game on a two-game losing streak.
“That gauntlet that we’ve gone through has taken a toll on us some physically and mentally,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said in his weekly press conference Monday. “We certainly need to continue moving in the right direction in all areas. We have a team coming in this week that I’m sure they will play like they have nothing to lose. They’re playing in an SEC home and have a chance to make some noise, just like many teams did last weekend.
“We don’t want to be on the other end of that. So we’ve got to regain our kids’ focus and elevate our concentration to do little things right.”
Idaho will bring in a struggling offense that averages just 16.4 points per game and a little over 350 yards per game.
It looks like Taylor Davis will get his first start of the year at quarterback, while Chad Chalich and backup Josh McCain are both nursing injuries. Davis has played in three games this season and is 14 of 39 passing for 199 yards with a touchdown and interception.
Dezmon Epps will be the Vandals’ biggest aerial threat. He leads the team with 46 catches, more than doubling the second-leading receiver, and has 493 yards and two touchdowns. James Baker will be the main force out of the backfield for Idaho. He leads the team with 348 yards on the ground and five touchdowns.
After holding LSU to just 24 points last weekend, the Rebel defense carries a lot of momentum heading into this game. Junior linebacker Serderius Bryant, the team’s leading tackler, could return this week from a concussion, which sidelined him against LSU.
A player the Ole Miss defense may see make another big impact is sophomore safety Chief Brown, who recorded a career day against LSU, leading the team in tackles with eight and also recording an interception.
The Vandal defense will have a tough task in taking down a high-powered Ole Miss offense this weekend. Idaho is allowing 43.1 points per game this season and also giving up 540.9 points per game.
“They like to bring a lot of field pressures, which we’ve seen,” Freeze said of the Idaho defense. “They’ll mix in enough boundary to keep you guessing. I know I’ve said this several times, but it is difficult to accurately portray exactly how they’ll treat us because we don’t have a really good look on film of somebody that does exactly what we do. They are a very active defense, and they are in the right positions.”
Defensively, the Vandals are led by leading tacklers Marc Millan and Bradley Njoku, who rank first and second on the team with 56 and 53 tackles, respectively. Through seven games, Idaho has also forced 13 turnovers.
Ole Miss junior quarterback Bo Wallace enters this Saturday off one of his best performances as a Rebel, going 30-for-39 for 346 yards.
Sophomore running backs Jaylen Walton and I’Tavius Mathers are also looking to continue their good play after Walton ran for a team-best 106 yards and two touchdowns and Mathers added 51 yards of his own. Senior running back Jeff Scott could return after being sidelined last weekend with a deep thigh bruise, but he likely won’t see a lot of playing time regardless of how healthy he is.
Freshman Laquon Treadwell and junior Donte Moncrief will likely get the most looks through the air, like they have all year, with Treadwell leading the team with 39 catches and Moncrief setting the pace with 465 yards and four touchdowns.
Kickoff for the homecoming matchup is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be televised by CSS.
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