In Ole Miss’ loss to Memphis, one of the biggest problems was their inability to convert on third and fourth and short. The Rebels only converted four of their 13 third down attempts and completed zero fourth down attempts, including one at their own 34 yard line that led to a Memphis touchdown.
Offensive coordinator Dan Werner addressed the third and fourth down deficiencies.
“Either we’re calling bad plays or not getting open or making bad reads,” Werner said. “Obviously it’s not working, so we have to figure out how to get that fixed.”
Werner explained the thought process behind taking the chances to go for it on fourth and short, despite the Rebels’ short yardage issues.
“We’re trying to just create some momentum,” Werner said. “And obviously none of them worked, so it sort of bit us.”
The offensive line struggled throughout the game with Memphis’ defensive front, only accumulating 40 yards on 24 rushing attempts. The line took a blow early in the second quarter when Robert Conyers re-aggravated his left-knee injury and did not return.
Freeze said the doctors were not positive regarding the condition of Conyers’ knee, and was hesitant to comment.
Werner said the team was already heavily dependent on the pass and another solution had to be found.
“We threw it probably way too much today,” Werner said. “So again, we have to find a way to be able to hand it off and know you’re going to get it on third and short.”
Freeze was also critical of the third and fourth down offense, saying at times they were almost as bad as they could be. The first of the fourth down attempts came at the Memphis 10 yard line.
Facing a fourth-and-one, Hugh Freeze elected to turn down a 27 field goal attempt. The play resulted in Jordan Wilkins being stopped behind six yards behind the line of scrimmage.
“I felt good about that one, felt good about the call,” Freeze said. “They made a great play on it.”
The other fourth down gamble came late in the second quarter, with the Rebels facing fourth and inches at their own 34 yard line. The gamble came up snake eyes when Chad Kelly’s quarterback sneak was stopped behind the line of scrimmage. The stop switched momentum as Memphis scored a touchdown taking a 24-14 halftime lead.
“That wasn’t a good decision. You know you have about a half a foot, and we really need to change this momentum to get some points is what you’re thinking,” Freeze said. “But obviously it was not a good decision to do it.”
Werner summed up the team’s offensive struggles by scoring 14 points on their first two drives but then going scoreless until the third quarter.
“There was a span there where we had a couple penalties. We had a couple drops. We’d been moving the ball obviously very well, and all of a sudden that kind of stuff slows you down,” Werner said. “They gained confidence. You have to give them credit but we’ve got to do a better job.”
