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The Q&A is back! It was quick and rushed, as we were all busy this week, but we have it. You can read my answers over at RedCupRebellion.com when they're posted (I'll link to it when the post goes up).
1) Ole Miss at home and Ole Miss on the road has been two completely different teams. Any reasons for that?
That's a result of playing Alabama, Florida State, LSU, and Arkansas on the road while playing Memphis, Wofford, and a bad UGA team at home. I hate to make it that simple, but I don't think there's some underlying issue with crowd noise or anything like that.
2) Ole Miss of late seems to always be great at throwing the ball (with probably the best WR corps, TE, and QB combo in the SEC), but hasn't developed much of a ground game. What's the issue been with running the football?
Well, offensive line play has been consistently bad. At first, it seemed that recruiting over time might solve that. It hasn't. It appears that it might be time to replace the coaching at the position, since problems like this can't be blamed on failures by the previous staff to adequately recruit the position.
Granted, the line is very young this year.... but it wasn't very young last year. We saw the same problems then though.
Ole Miss also still doesn't have a difference maker at the running back position. After losing its best chance at that, Eric Swinney, to a leg injury in the first game of the season and a proven runner, Jordan Wilkins, due to an administrative academic scheduling error that resulted in ineligibility, that hasn't changed. I personally think Akeem Judd is a fine back, but he's not great and certainly not elite.
3) The Rebels lost some major talent from last year's defense. Who has been stepping up to take their place or is showing signs of being the ones who could have a breakout game?
The secondary is very voung but looks good sometimes. Freshman corners Jalen Julius and Jaylon Jones have already made a big name for themselves and should both honestly be starting. The starting safeties are true freshman Myles Hartfield and sophomore Zedrick Woods. Both have been better than could be expected of two three-star recruits without other good offers.
The defensive line is also very strong. Obviously junior DE Marquis Haynes can wreck tackles on occasion, but the defensive tackle play is good as well. When Fadol Brown isn't injured, the other DE spot is strong, but he hasn't been able to play much this year.
Linebacker play is doodoo.
4) Bill C's numbers show the Rebels are still one of the better teams in the nation. What's been the difference during the games that has led to the losses?
The third quarter. Ole Miss comes out firing on all cylinders early in games. When they still have a well-developed script, the team moves the ball in big chunks. When they have to make changes to the gameplan as the strategies develop, that's when things go south.
I don't really know what it is. I don't know if it's a result of the coaches forgetting how to make halftime adjustments or just some crazy mindset change in the players. When they come out of the tunnel in the third quarter though, everything is different. They're timid and look sluggish.
5) Prediction for the game?
Auburn covers the spread.
The Ole Miss offense is one-dimensional, and any team with any semblance of a running game can just do whatever they want to the defense. It's really that simple.