Matt Herod, sports editor at The Pacer, joins DM sports editor Grayson Weir to discuss Saturday’s matchup between Ole Miss and the University of Tennessee at Martin.
One of the big stories from Ole Miss’ game was the impressive performance of quarterback Shea Patterson. The big story of UTM’s win over Clarion was the shutout the UTM defense delivered, only allowing nine first downs and 53 passing yards the entire game. Will what makes or breaks this game be what happens between Shea Patterson versus the UTM defense?
GW: I think absolutely, if the UTM defense can stop Shea Patterson, the Rebels will be in some trouble. But that’s the case with the majority of offenses in the nation with a stellar signal-caller. Of course Shea is a different case, accounting for 435 yards total offense on his own last week. Being that UTM’s defense shined against a school like Clarion, I think he should still fair just fine, but certainly head coach Matt Luke and offensive coordinator Phil Longo both have been working to prepare for the hectic 3-3-5 defense all week.
With the Ole Miss defense getting one sack and allowing 170 yards rushing and UTM gaining 265 yards on the ground, how do you think head coach Matt Luke will prepare for the rushing game?
GW: This is the biggest “what if?” factor going into Saturday. It’s clear UTM’s offensive catalyst is coming out of the backfield in Ladarius Galloway. Coming off a struggle to stop South Alabama’s run game last week, it will be critical to get a push off the ball and have our linebackers step up to make some tackles in the holes (something they did not do last weekend). Coach Luke has made it clear that’s one of the areas where the Rebels need to improve and is calling on the defense for more hits and more hats to the ball.
UTM’s quarterback Troy Cook had 192 yards and two touchdowns. Ole Miss allowed barely more yards and only one touchdown in the air against South Alabama. What kind of stats do you think the Ole Miss defense will put up/hold Cook to?
GW: It’s a tale of two secondaries here in Oxford; there’s no real way of knowing whether the good, the bad or the ugly is going to show up. While 192 yards and two touchdowns seem like a decent day at the office for our defensive backs, for those watching, it was clearly not. I think they’ll struggle a bit in the first half, but once they finally find their groove, Cook will find himself with very little room down field.
Shea Patterson put up impressive numbers in the season opener. Did you see that coming, and do you expect him to continue to play at that level or even better against UTM and ultimately the rest of the season?
GW: Shea is Shea. The No. 1 quarterback in the nation two years ago, the kid can ball. We’ve been waiting for the Shea Patterson era in Oxford for a minute now. While it came to us early, after Chad Kelly went down last fall, we saw sparks of greatness. Now it’s his team. He put up silly numbers in week one, and there’s no telling what he can do if he stays healthy.
A.J. Brown is obviously a talented receiver. But do you think his impressive game was a byproduct of Patterson’s performance, or can we expect to see him making a lot of big catches against UTM?
GW: What’s cool about our Nasty Wide Outs (NWO) is that each and every one of our receivers could step up and have an AJ Brown versus South Alabama-esque day. While I do think Brown made quite the case to be the guy Patterson leans on (breaking the single-game receiving record is no joke,) we very well could see each of the big, physical receivers come out and challenge one another’s records week in and week out.
The rushing for Ole Miss against South Alabama wasn’t bad, with 102 yards, but those yards were very spread out among the tailbacks. Who can we expect to see carrying the ball for the majority of the game, and who do you predict will be the guy for Ole Miss at the running back position going forward?
GW: Alongside tackling, this was a big point of emphasis in practice this week. Wilkins, Swinney and Pennamon all had fairly equivalent days on the ground last weekend, but it was clear the run game was not the priority – which we knew coming in. That being said, when the ball was handed off, it looked good. All three backs were able to find holes and collectively average about four yards a carry. The shared touches will continue to be the case this week. While I think it’s likely that the air attack will continue to absorb the majority of the load, each of the three backs has earned his place and given Luke and Longo the confidence to open it up a little more.
The Skyhawks’ defense held a Division II program in Clarion to 146 yards total offense with two interceptions. Ole Miss’ offense put up 531 yards and scored five touchdowns against South Alabama. How is head coach Jason Simpson preparing for the prolific, primarily air, attack?
MH: I talked with some of UTM’s players on the subject, and they said coach Simpson is very aware of the threat Ole Miss is/can be downfield in the air. They know how talented Shea Patterson is, and they’re just hoping the defensive players can step up and make the plays when and where they need to be made. There’s really no room for error for the defense Saturday. Coming off of a game where the defense dominated, it can’t get too confident. Yes, that was good against Clarion, but the reality is that Clarion is a Division II team … Ole Miss is a Football Bowl Subdivision Division I team in the SEC – the UTM defense is aware of the daunting task it has ahead.
Ladarius Galloway is the clear offensive spark for UT Martin. How do you expect Galloway and the offensive line to fair facing a big, agile defensive front for the Rebels, who weren’t able to get the expected push in the trenches and gave up 170 yards on 37 carries last weekend?
MH: Galloway was huge last Thursday. He had good numbers from Copiah-Lincoln Community College (where he transferred from), but you just never know with a JUCO transfer. Ty Brown and some of the other backs might be able to help on the ground, but Galloway looks like the guy going forward. Our offensive line will have its work cut out for it, going from playing a team where the biggest guy is 300 pounds to Ole Miss with guys like 6-foot-2-inch, 315-pound Benito Jones and 6-foot-4-inch, 302-pound Josiah Coatney. The hope is that Galloway can find the holes the O-line creates and make his own when it doesn’t create any.
Can the defensive unit keep up with the three-turnover game it had against Clarion?
MH: This is an interesting one. The UTM defense is going from playing against a quarterback who went 2-22 for 53 yards, two INTs and zero TDs to Shea Patterson. It’s like a fighter immediately going from fighting a no-name opponent to fighting Jon Jones or Conor McGregor … It’s a higher level of competition. Do I think it’ll have the success in turnovers that it had against Clarion? Probably not, but as I stated earlier, this game is going to be about the UTM defense making few or no mistakes to hold the Ole Miss offense to a low score, because UTM can’t expect Patterson to make the same mistakes Clarion’s QB did. And with any quarterback like Shea Patterson, it’s always beneficial if a defense can make him react to what it’s doing, not constantly reacting to what he’s doing.
The Skyhawks’ receiving core shared the workload against Clarion. Should we expect quarterback Troy Cook to spread the wealth once more, or is there a player we should be on the lookout for for a breakout game? Are you confident with the ball in Cook’s hands?
MH: I would say look for Cook to spread the ball around just as much. Galloway had three receptions, Moore had two receptions and a touchdown and Caylon Weathers is a veteran at UTM, so he has options. Galloway had 14 receptions for 108 yards last year at Copiah-Lincoln, so maybe look for him to come out as a receiver or for the screen pass. And yes, I’m confident. Cook is no stranger to the big stage. He transferred to UTM from Florida State, was the starter at UTM last year and got good playing time in 2015. He was on the FCS National Performer of the Year Watch List, a preseason All-OVC selection and on the OVC Preseason All-Conference first team. The point is that Cook knows what he’s doing. He threw two interceptions against Clarion, which is a little unsettling, but the hope is that they were a product of “season-opener excitement” and just getting back into the swing of it. There’s no doubt he’s going to have his hands full on Saturday, but thankfully Troy isn’t a freshman; he’s a senior, and he knows how to execute and run the offense.
For UT Martin to upset the Rebels and leave 2-0, what needs to happen? Prediction?
MH: As I’ve said, the defense would have to be flawless. Shea Patterson is no doubt going to bring it Saturday, and UTM’s defense will try its best to shake him up. Cook will have to have a big game and come away almost perfect, as well, to leave with the win. We’d probably need Patterson to be off of his game a little bit, whether that be a mental issue on his end or the UTM defense making plays. And of course Ladarius Galloway would need to have a similar, if not better, outing against the Rebels and put up incredible numbers to get the win.
I mean, Ole Miss is in the SEC West with teams like Alabama, LSU and more big teams, so it plays big opponents on a regular basis. UT Martin being in the OVC, it’s obviously a smaller conference, and most probably don’t expect UTM to come away 2-0, but upsets happen. This will probably be UTM’s toughest test of the year, and the team knows what it’s walking into Saturday. Hopefully it will be a good football game to watch.
