Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator Dave Wommack thinks his young secondary is developing. It has been and is going to be a process. But that’s not to say there hasn’t been improvement, particularly at defensive back.
“I think both the freshmen are coming. I think Jaylon (Jones) and Jalen (Julius) are coming. They’ve made a lot of improvements,” Wommack said. “I’ve seen Kailo (Moore) do some things. We’ve tried to help him with his technique. He’s got the speed – he just hasn’t been a good technician for us in being able to execute some of the things that we’re trying to do.”
With the loss of its best cover corner Ken Webster, who Head Coach Hugh Freeze said had a successful knee surgery on Wednesday, Wommack is going to need guys like Moore, who is a senior, to step up.
“He’s going to have to help us, and (Cam) Ordway. It’s going to be a committee of guys out there that are going to have to do it,” Freeze said.
One thing Ole Miss hasn’t benefitted from is time for these young guys to grow as players. Its brutal September stretch has them playing the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country sandwiched between a Wofford team that ran the triple option.
“That didn’t help us at all in getting prepared for Alabama and the teams that are coming up on our schedule,” Wommack said.
Ole Miss defensive back Tony Bridges reaches to block a pass intended for Florida State wide receiver Travis Rudolph (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
It won’t get any easier for the Rebels this week as they face an Alabama team with a dual-threat quarterback in Jalen Hurts that has shown the ability to extend plays with his feet as well as throw the ball down field.
“We can’t simulate him. They had one of the coaches doing it, but I mean you can’t simulate him,” Freeze said. “You can simulate what they do and make sure they’re aware of the rush lanes and containing him when you do rush.”
Wommack said Hurts reminds him of Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois. They’re both young talents with strong arms and have the ability to make plays with their legs.
For the secondary, neutralizing Hurts and the passing game is about one thing: confidence.
“You have got to have success. It comes down to that. You have to have success. In this league, you’re going to play great players every week,” Wommack said.
He wasn’t pleased with his defense’s competitiveness against Florida State and has preached it heavily since.
“That’s been a big deal for us. I thought the game a week ago Monday we were way off and way soft and we don’t teach playing nine yards off,” Wommack said. “Even though you talk to the young guys about doing those things, the lights come on and they’re going up against these big time ACC and SEC receivers and you have to learn that being off of them is just as bad as being close to them and I think you can see that on the film.”
His best safety, Tony Conner, has still been getting his feel back since his offseason knee surgery. The senior safety did not have his best game in the season opener, but has confidence in him, which is what he wants from his entire secondary as the Rebels attempt to right the ship this weekend against another playoff contender.
“I thought in the first game he could have done some things well. I think he is feeling his way through but I do have confidence in him,” Wommack said. “He’s practiced better so I think he needed to go through some of the things he went through the other night and we’ll move forward.”
