After a much-needed open week, the Ole Miss football team has a date with one of the best defensive fronts in the nation at Auburn, led by tackle Derrick Brown and edge Marlon Davidson on Saturday.
At 6-foot-5, 318 pounds and 6-foot-3, 278 pounds, respectively, the two seniors strike fear into any offensive coordinator in the nation, especially one who emphasizes running the ball. The Auburn defense that specializes in disruption on the interior will test the Ole Miss run game.
“They’re really good against the run. They’re good against the pass, too. Those are the defenses you play against in this league. They’re good at everything,” head coach Matt Luke said. “But again, we have got to be who we are. I think in terms of formations, we can do some things to cause them problems, but you just have to do what you do. They are very good, but they are a good defense no matter what you do.”
Ole Miss offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez said he’ll have to find the balance in scheming for the dominant defenders and keeping identity this week.
“The last thing you want to do for our guys is have some indecision or some confusion up front, and all of a sudden we can’t execute,” offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez said. “If you execute poorly against a team as good as them, then it’s really going to be bad.”
After a week away from practice, a host of the Rebels are back on the field to prepare for the tall task in Auburn this weekend. Head coach Matt Luke confirmed that the offensive line is back to full health this week. Eli Johnson, Ben Brown, Alex Givens and Micheal Howard were all full participants on Sunday.
Scottie Phillips was also full speed, and Jerrion Ealy cleared concussion protocol after his head injury against Texas A&M. John Rhys Plumlee did not practice but received treatment and is expected to go on Wednesday. Plumlee is expected to play on Saturday, but a limited running quarterback could put a damper on the Ole Miss gameplan.
“We’ll try to do what we can do well. There’s not a lot of people that do well against their front anyway, but we’ve got to eliminate negative yardage plays and obviously can’t have turnovers,” Rodriguez said. “We always start every plan saying ‘if we have no negative yardage plays and no turnovers, we have a great chance.’ Easier said than done.”
The Tigers have allowed only 17.9 points a game and 105.9 rushing yards a game and slowed the prolific LSU offense to 23 points last week.
“It’s one of the top defenses we’ve faced since I’ve been here. They’re good in the interior and the secondary and very physical at linebacker. We’re going to have to do a good job of not getting negative plays and protecting the ball. These guys get turnovers. When you drop back, they pressure the passer and create turnovers with their physicality. We’ll have to play well on the road against a very good team.”
