Ole Miss Football had several press conferences in anticipation of the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. CT. Here is what the team said about their upcoming contest against Miami.
Wide receiver Harrison Wallace III spoke about the Miami defense and what makes it so talented.
“They’re one of the top defenses in the country. They’re going to bring a lot of pressure,” Wallace said in a press conference on Jan. 4. “They have two great guys coming from the D-line, and then a great back end. It’s going to be a great challenge. Looking forward to going out there and working.”
Wallace does not think the Miami defensive line will have much of an effect on Rebel pass-catchers.
“Yes, it can (have an effect), but at the same time, I wouldn’t say it affects our whole route tree because we do a lot of quick games, deep balls. We’ve got a great o-line that will hold up and protect,” Wallace said.
Miami’s defensive line is certainly a unit to watch in the Fiesta Bowl — Rueben Bain Jr. has 8.5 sacks and 45 tackles and is a projected top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft according to ESPN — but the secondary is also very talented.
“Yeah, they’re aggressive. They really get to the ball,” Wallace said. “There’s a lot of aggressive guys on the secondary. A lot of smart players, too. They kind of read the quarterback’s eyes, jump a lot of routes, so it will be a great challenge.”
Indeed, Hurricane defensive back Keionte Scott had a 72-yard pick-six on a screen pass in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State last week. This may pose a threat to the Ole Miss offense, which often relies on short, quick passes. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss tries to fit many of these throws into tight windows, and in the Sugar Bowl, this led to a few near-interceptions.
The Rebels could feature less one-read plays to account for the Miami secondary; that said, they have utilized these plays all year and may stick to their guns.
Linebacker TJ Dottery spoke about the Miami offense in a presser on Jan. 4. He compared the Hurricane offense to Georgia’s.
“In a sense, I would put them in with Georgia in terms of dominating the run game,” Dottery said. “Depending on their run game, they have a standout guy in a receiver that they like to get the ball to. Especially having one senior receiver that they (throw the ball to) more than others.”
Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. already has 36 carries for 262 rushing yards over two playoff games, which comes out to a whopping 7.3 yards per carry. The “standout receiver” Dottery referenced is Malachi Toney, a freshman who finished the regular season with over 1,000 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.
The Rebels faced Miami quarterback Carson Beck last season when he was with Georgia. Beck was 20-of-31 for 186 yards and one interception in that game. The key for Dottery and the Rebels will be to get Beck out of the pocket.
“He’s a great quarterback when he stands in the pocket,” Dottery said. “They have a great O-line. … So (we have to) try to get him off his rhythm, get him out of the pocket, and try to make him run and scramble and make him make throws on the run.”
As an offense, Miami is the complete opposite of Ole Miss. Chambliss and the Rebels play fast, up-tempo football. The Hurricanes hold onto the football and keep the ball away from the opposing offense — which allows their defense to rest and be more prepared for the next drive.
“With them being that type of play style, (our defense is) trying to get off the field as quickly as possible, trying to go three and out, and try to get the offense the ball back as many times as we can,” Dottery said.
Defensive coach Bryan Brown outlined the keys to stopping a balanced Miami offense.
“One, you’ve got to stop the run. That’s the number one thing,” Brown said in a press conference on Jan. 4. “I think you have to stop the run, and then you have to eliminate the balls over your head, and have to do a good job containing number 10 (Malachi Toney). If you can do that and help eliminate the run as well as the play action pass game, I think hopefully you will have a good day.”
