Homecoming week is coming to a close and while all the homecoming floats, ziplines and ball pits are being broken down, Grove tents are going up as there’s still a game of football to be played.
The SEC rival Vanderbilt Commodores will come into Oxford for the Rebels’ biggest game of the season thus far. It might seem hyperbolic to suggest this is the most important game for Ole Miss just halfway through the season, but there’s no doubt a loss to one of the few opponents they’ll be favored over puts Matt Luke and his squad in a tight spot moving forward in the 2019 season.
“This is a huge game for us. I have a lot of respect for Coach (Derek) Mason and Vanderbilt,” Luke said. “They run around, play really well on defense. I’ve been impressed watching them on tape. This is a huge game for us, and we’re looking forward to a great atmosphere on Saturday in Vaught-Hemingway.”
Let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room. Since Matt Corral went down with bruised ribs in the California loss, fans have been flip-flopping back in forth with opinions on who should start behind center for the Rebels. Plumlee’s performance in most of the Alabama game added fuel to the fire.
It’s honestly the only thing anyone is paying attention to with this squad, but Ole Miss has put every quarterback on the roster in an impenetrable bubble for weeks. Quarterback interview requests by the media have been ignored and the coaching staff has understandably kept their cards close to the vest when asked.
“Let me be honest with you. If I knew exactly today who was going to start or what we were going to do, why the heck would I tell you…” Rodriguez said in a Monday press conference. “There’s absolutely zero chance of me telling you anything about the quarterback situation until post game Saturday.
“There’s no benefit (in telling you) other than you get to write about it,” he said.
Well, we’ll do it anyway, coach. Here are three things to watch in the Rebels’ homecoming game on Saturday.
Who starts at quarterback and, more importantly, who plays more effectively?
We could fill up every sports page discussing this. Matt Luke told the media on Wednesday that Matt Corral practiced and split first team reps with John Rhys Plumlee and Grant Tisdale and that’s all we know for sure.
“I think we’re fortunate that we’ve got good players there. We don’t know who’s going to start yet, but they all got reps today,” Luke said on Wednesday.
No matter who starts on Saturday, Matt Luke and Rich Rodriguez have to find the best freshman for the job as the Rebels move into the most important game of the 2019 season. Luke said if Corral is healthy, we’ll see both quarterbacks, but you have to assume if Corral is healthy he’ll start with Plumlee coming in select running situations.
It’s also important to remember Corral hasn’t had any real contact since the injury.
How can the Landsharks stop Ke’Shawn Vaughn?
The Commodores’ feature tailback has racked up 398 rushing yards in four games. Georgia and Purdue were able to limit Vaughn, but the back exploded in the last two games with 130 yards against LSU and 138 yards against NIU.
“First of all, their running back is excellent,” defensive coordinator Mike MacIntrye said. “He’s able to park through there, he’s powerful, he’s strong. He can take it to the house from (a) distance. He’s an excellent running back, so we’re going to try to stop the run. But they’re going to try to throw the ball on us. Wouldn’t you?”
Perfect transition!
Can the secondary guard the pass effectively?
It’s been tough for the defensive backfield in the past month. If you need any proof, check the box score from the Alabama game and you’ll see what an easy 274 yards receiving looks like. DeVonta Smith glided through the secondary for five touchdowns last week.
If you’d like more examples, look at the tape of Chase Garbers before the Ole Miss game then see what he did the Rebels.
While they’ll never have to face another receiving corps with the same power fire as the Crimson Tide, the Commodores have two legitimate targets in Kalija Lipscomb and tight end Jared Pinkney.
“We’ve got to be able to get better in our passing game, but if we go just focus on the passing and negate the run, (Vaughn) can come up 250 yards he’s that good of a runner,” MacIntyre said. “So we’ve got to fix those different issues and be able to still stop him there’s no doubt about it.”
Honorable mentions:
Can the freshman receivers build on their success from a week ago?
How does the interior line hold up without Ryder Anderson?
