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Texas A&M at Ole Miss Rank: 24 AP, 23 coaches Record: 5-2 (2-1 SEC)
Rank: 15 AP, 16 coaches Record: 5-1 (2-1 SEC)
All-time series: Texas A&M lead the series 6-1, including a 2-0 advantage in games played in Oxford. Ole Miss won last year’s meeting, 35-20, in College Station, Texas.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page 3 — COLUMN: For better or worse, Rebels’ season about to take a turn Page 4 — Rebels seek answers ahead of A&M Page 5 — Rosters
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Page 6 — KNOW YOUR OPPONENT: Texas A&M
Page 7 — LOOKBACK: Fast start propels Ole Miss past Aggies on road Page 8 — Fleet-footed Haynes tweaks game for better rush
Page 9 — Move to center of offensive line ‘comes natural’ for Bell
Page 12 — CB Webster has ‘a lot of trust’ in his teammates in second year
Page 13 — THE RECRUITING FILE: Connor ‘blessed’ to get big-time attention
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friday, OcTOber 23, 2015
For better or worse, Rebels’ season about to take a turn
I
t didn’t take long for Hugh Freeze to admit it in the bowels of the Liberty Bowl last Saturday. Something with this Ole Miss team isn’t right. Forget injuries. Forget the schedule. Because for Ole Miss, physical pain and a daunting slate comes with the territory of being one of the 14 members of the rugged Southeastern Conference. While it may be hard to remember now, this same group of Rebels went to Tuscaloosa with an already banged-up offensive line that was already missing Laremy Tunsil and hand-
ed Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide just their second loss in the last four Davis years in their own Potter backyard, a Sports Editor result that seemed to indicate Ole Miss had staying power in the SEC and playoff races. But things have gone terribly wrong since that night of euphoria for Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa, highlighted by a 37-24 loss at Memphis just six days ago that wasn’t even that close once the
second quarter started. “There’s something missing for sure,” Freeze said. A lot of things are missing, which is strange considering how much coaches and players talked in the preseason about this program’s newfound success and how a traditionally mediocre program all of a sudden in the national spotlight needed to embrace the brightness. With more than half the starters back on both sides of the ball and a roster headlined by four potential NFL first-round draft picks, the rise in expectations was justified.
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Rebels seek answers ahead of A&M By Davis Potter Sports Editor
TEXAS A&M ATHLETICS
Ole Miss’ reeling pass defense will once again by tested by Texas A&M’s plethora of weapons, including freshman receiver Christian Kirk (3), who leads the SEC with 101 receiving yards per game.
Ole Miss has big problems on defense, and the Rebels don’t have a whole lot of time to try to find some answers. A shocking loss to Memphis on Saturday — its second in the last four games — has all but extinguished Ole Miss’ chances to reach the College Football Playoff, yet the Rebels (5-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) still control their own destiny in the SEC’s Western Division. But with all their non-conference games behind them, the Rebels know things have to change quickly as they end the regular season with five league games in the final six weeks starting Saturday with Texas A&M
at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. “It’s a lot of things that we can fix, and we need to get it done,” Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram said. “We need to get it fixed fast.” The Aggies (5-1, 2-1) took their first loss against Alabama last week but will bring the SEC’s second-best passing offense and fourth-highest scoring offense to Oxford to face an Ole Miss defense that’s not stopping much of anything through the air. Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch shredded the Rebels for 384 passing yards to drop Ole Miss’ pass defense to 12th-worst in the conference. Ole Miss also ranks 12th in the league in third-down percentage defense after the Tigers continued the Rebels’ thirddown misery by keeping drives
alive 60 percent (12 of 20) of the time. “I think we have to practice harder, execute well, and everyone just do their assignment,” linebacker Terry Caldwell said. “Everyone will do well in the defense if we all just play together, do our own job and not play for anyone else.”
Allen or Murray?
The Rebels could see both young A&M quarterbacks at times Saturday. Sophomore Kyle Allen injured his throwing shoulder against Alabama and gave way to speedy freshman Kyler Murray, who had been getting some reps throughout the course of the season. See SEEK on Page 15
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Name Tony Bridges Laquon Treadwell DeVante Kincade Tee Shepard C.J. Hampton Damore’ea Stringfellow Denzel Nkemdiche DaMarkus Lodge Robert Nkemdiche Fadol Brown Jaylen Walton Trae Elston Jason Pellerin Quincy Adeboyejo Chief Brown Ryan Buchanan Breeland Speaks C.J. Johnson Chad Kelly Will Easter Markell Pack Channing Ward Tony Conner Van Jefferson Eugene Brazley Kailo Moore Victor Evans Jeremy Liggins Kendarius Webster Drew Davis Jalen Julius Collins Moore Evan Engram Derrick Jones Christian Russell Terry Caldwell Akeem Judd Ray Ray Smith Jordan Wilkins Carlos Davis Tayler Polk Johnathan Rattliffe Eric Swinney Montrell Custis Quintavius Burdette C.J. Moore Marquis Haynes Cale Luke Cameron Ordway Brandon Bell Armani Linton A.J. Moore Justin Anderson DeMarquis Gates Temario Strong Nathan Vanderburg John-Patrick Sherling Shawn Curtis D.K. Buford Josh Johnson Zedrick Woods Luke Davis Mike Hilton Martin Johnson Antwain Smith Garrald McDowell Ty Quick John Youngblood Jack Raborn Sean Rawlings Michael Howard Austrian Robinson Will Few Sam Johnson Tyler Putnam Woodrow Hamilton Chadwick Lamar Michael Taylor Jacob Freely Ben Still Alex Givens Justin Bell Jordan Sims Christian Morris Aaron Morris Rod Taylor Fahn Cooper Robert Conyers Daronte Bouldin Talbot Buys Laremy Tunsil Javon Patterson Willie Hibbler Elliot Markuson Trey Bledsoe Dylan Dyer Dillon Barrett Hunter Thurley Dawson Knox Alex Weber Jordan Gallegos Matt Brown Cody Core Taz Zettergren Ross Donelly Nathan Noble Andy Pappanastos Tyler Jackson D.J. Jones Will Gleeson Issac Gross Gary Wunderlich Grant Warren Herbert Moore
Ole Miss Rebels Pos. Height/Weight DB 6-0/183 WR 6-2/210 QB 6-0/184 DB 6-1/195 DB 6-0/179 WR 6-3/220 LB 5-11/208 WR 6-2/190 DT 6-4/296 DE 6-4/280 RB 5-8/172 DB 5-11/195 QB 6-4/229 WR 6-3/195 DB 6-1/200 QB 6-3/218 DL 6-3/313 LB 6-2/225 QB 6-2/215 WR 6-0/180 WR 6-2/193 DE 6-4/279 DB 6-0/215 WR 6-2/181 RB 5-9/189 DB 5-10/195 DE 6-3/238 TE/OL 6-3/302 DB 5-11/180 QB 6-1/208 DB 6-0/180 WR 6-1/201 TE 6-3/227 WR 6-2/189 LB 6-0/232 LB 6-1/216 RB 5-11/222 LB 6-2/213 RB 6-1/214 DB 5-8/171 LB 5-11/212 DB 5-9/177 RB 5-9/197 DB 6-0/174 WR 5-11/186 DB 5-11/190 DE 6-3/220 WR 6-1/200 DB 5-11/174 WR 6-0/214 DB 6-2/206 DB 6-0/199 DB 5-9/184 LB 6-2/217 LB 6-0/233 RB 5-7/167 LB 5-11/224 LB 6-9/247 DB 5-11/221 WR 5-10/172 DB 5-11/197 LB 6-2/216 DB 5-9/184 RB 6-0/192 DB 5-9/175 DL 6-2/240 TE 6-3/257 DE 6-3/255 LB 6-1/217 OL 6-5/280 OL 6-5/232 DL 6-4/292 LS 6-3/232 OL 6-2/240 OL 6-4/300 DT 6-3/319 LS 6-1/212 LS 6-3/185 C 6-2/273 C 6-3/280 OL 6-6/293 OL 6-2/347 OL 6-4/334 OL 6-6/313 OL 6-5/313 OL 6-3/320 OL 6-5/306 OL 6-5/290 OL 6-5/327 OL 6-8/310 OL 6-5/305 OL 6-3/307 TE 6-3/238 LB 6-0/235 WR 6-1/213 TE 6-4/227 TE 6-4/235 DE 6-4/232 TE 6-4/222 WR 6-1/185 WR 5-9/172 TE 6-3/257 WR 6-3/205 TE 6-3/218 DT 6-1/309 K 6-3/224 K 5-11/194 K 5-11/185 DT 6-0/324 P 6-3/197 DT 6-1/240 K/P 6-0/188 P 6-1/201 DT 6-1/322
Yr. JR JR SO R-JR SO R-SO SR FR JR JR SR SR FR JR SR R-SO FR SR JR JR SO SR JR FR SO JR FR JR SO JR FR SR JR JR SR JR JR SO SO JR SO R-FR FR FR SR SO SO SO FR R-JR FR SO SO SO JR SO SO FR R-FR SO FR SO SR JR SO R-FR SO JR R-FR R-FR FR FR JR FR R-FR SR FR FR JR SR FR SR R-FR SO SR SO SR JR SO JR JR FR FR SO SO SR SR-TR JR FR R-FR JR JR SR JR FR JR SO JR JR SO FR SO SO SO
The OxfOrd eagle - game day
Hometown (Last School) Hattiesburg (Miss. Gulf Coast CC) Crete, Ill. Dallas Fresno, Calif. (Holmes CC) Meridian Perris, Calif. (Washington) Loganville, Ga. Cedar Hill, Texas Loganville, Ga. Charleston, S.C. (FIU) Memphis Oxford, Ala. New Iberia, La. Cedar Hill, Texas Winona Jackson Jackson Philadelphia, Miss. Buffalo, N.Y. (East Mississippi CC) Rosemary Beach, Fla. (Louisburg) Purvis Aberdeen Batesville Brentwood, Tenn. New Orleans Rosedale Dallas Oxford (Northeast Mississippi CC) Stockbridge, Ga. Bonita Springs, Fla. (Coffeeville CC) Winter Garden, Fla. Madison, Ala. Powder Springs, Ga. Eupora Fayetteville, N.C. (East Miss. CC) Wilmington, N.C. (Northwest Miss. CC) Durham, N.C. (Georgia Military) Florence, Ala. Cordova, Tenn. Birmingham, Ala. Magee Birmingham, Ala. Riverdale, Ga. Jonesboro, Ga. Senatobia Bassfield Jacksonville, Fla. (Fork Union Military) Clinton Pulaski, Tenn. Columbus (East Miss. CC) Walnut Bassfield Houston, Texas Hampton, Ga. Batesville Olive Branch Fairhope, Ala. Doral, Fla. Oxford Belden Lake City, Fla. Trussville, Ala. Fayetteville, Ga. Preston (East Central CC) Southaven Covington, La. Terry Trussville, Ala. Advance, NC Madison Green Cove Springs, Fla. New York Augusta, Ga. Nashville Olive Branch Raleigh Oxford Jackson, Tenn. Picayune (East Miss. CC) Memphis Nashville Jackson Homewood, Ala. Memphis (UCLA) Jackson Jackson Crystal Lake, Ill. (College of DuPage) Miami, Fla. Canton Vicksburg (Holmes CC) Lake City, Fla. Petal Sardis Oxford Grenada Flora (Holmes CC) Dry Prong, La. (Lamar) Nashville (Wofford) Nashville Lake City, Fla. New Albany, Ohio Cordova, Tenn. Auburn, Ala. Senatobia Houston, Texas Greenville Montgomery, Ala. Oxford (Itawamba CC) Greenville, SC (East Miss. CC) Melbourne, Aus. Batesville Memphis Pascagoula Memphis
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Name De’Vante Harris Kyler Murray Speedy Noil Christian Kirk Noel Ellis Damion Ratley Tra Carson Daylon Mack Donovan Wilson Jake Hubenak Richar Moore Nick Harvey Qualen Cunningham Ricky Seals-jones Kyle Allen Daeshon Hall Josh Reynolds Josh Walker Sam Moeller Reggie Chevis Jamal Jeffery Justin Evans Conner McQueen Myles Garrett Frank Iheanacho Kobe Miller Kemah Siverand Dwaine Thomas Alex Sezer, Jr. Jordan Traylor Edward Pope Larry Pryor DeShawn Capers-Smith Janson Moore Jeremy Tabuyo James White Keith Ford Brandon Williams Kwame Etwi Sabian Holmes Armani Watts Taylor Bertolet Kendall Bussey Priest Willis Devonta Burns Brice Dolezal Roney Elam Victor Davis Jay Bradford Justin Dunning Claude George Will Paulhill Kevin Wilson Shaan Washington Blaine Townsend Riley Garner Daniel LaCamera Taylor Stump Drew Kaser Austin English Jarrett Johnson Christian Robertson Brandon Alexander Peter Grady Otaro Alaka Josch Motley Austin Frey Cullen Gillaspia A.J. Hilliard Shane Tripucka Caden Smith Landis Durham Dreagan Patterson Taylor Martinez Tank Davis Mac Labhart Tristan Horton Ben Huskinson Jake Blount Justin Manning Mike Matthews Matthew Kirchner Isaac Flores Braden Meador Chad Loitz Ryan Lindblade Erik McCoy Avery Gennesy Nathan Kellman Drew Beakey Justin Dworaczyk Brayden Talbert Connor Lanfear Trevor Elbert Jermaine Eluemunor Jeremiah Stuckey Germain Ifedi Koda Martin J.J. Gustafson Keaton Sutherland Joseph Cheek Jalyn Judkins Boone Niederhofer Kyle Whitley Alonzo Williams Morgan Whatley Grant Gustafson Reggie Rusk David Darley Greer Shelter Kingsley Keke Bryce Reeves Jordan Davis Deshawn Washington Zaycoven Henderson Tanner Schorp Julien Obioha Hardreck Walker James Lockhart
friday, OcTOber 23, 2015
Texas A&M Aggies Pos. Height/Weight DB 5-11/185 QB 5-11/188 WR 5-11/192 WR 5-11/200 DB 5-10/185 WR 6-1/190 RB 6-0/235 DL 6-1/335 DB 6-1/205 QB 6-3/195 LB 6-0/215 DB 5-10/180 DL 6-3/240 WR 6-5/240 QB 6-3/210 DL 6-6/260 WR 6-4/195 LB 6-1/240 DB 5-11/195 LB 6-1/290 WR 5-9/180 DB 6-1/195 QB 5-10/175 DL 6-5/262 WR 6-6/230 QB 6-2/210 WR 6-1/195 LB 6-2/220 DB 5-9/180 QB 6-1/195 WR 6-4/170 DB 6-0/200 DB 6-0/185 QB 5-11/188 WR 5-11/192 RB 6-0/220 RB 5-11/215 DB/RB 6-0/205 RB 5-9/190 WR 5-11/170 DB 5-11/200 PK 5-9/188 RB 5-9/200 DB 6-2/205 DB 6-0/211 RB 5-9/180 DB 6-2/175 DB 6-0/200 RB 5-11/196 DB 6-4/220 LB 6-2/235 DB 5-10/192 DB 6-1/205 LB 6-3/235 RB 6-0/220 LB 6-3/230 PK/P 6-4/210 WR 5-10/180 P 6-3/215 FB 5-11/221 DL 6-3/260 DS 5-11/230 TE 6-6/230 PK 5-11/220 LB 6-3/231 WR 5-11/188 DS 6-1/225 LB 6-2/230 LB 6-2/245 P 6-3/210 TE 6-3/260 LB 6-3/235 WR 6-0/198 LB 6-0/219 OL 6-4/305 LB 6-0/230 LB 5-9/185 DL 6-3/230 LB 6-4/240 DL 6-1/300 OL 6-2/290 DE 6-3/205 DL 6-3/300 OL 6-6/320 OL 6-1/325 OL 6-7/308 OL 6-4/311 OL 6-5/305 OL 6-3/314 OL 6-3/290 OL 6-6/285 Ol 6-5/307 OL 6-6/315 OL 6-6/320 OL 6-4/315 OL 6-4/305 OL 6-6/335 Ol 6-6/300 OL 6-5/285 OL 6-5/310 OL 6-7/305 WR 6-2/225 WR 6-0/207 WR 6-2/215 DL 6-4/305 WR 6-2/200 TE 6-4/235 WR 5-7/171 DE 6-4/240 TE 6-4/210 DL 6-3/319 WR 6-2/195 TE 6-4/251 DL 6-3/285 DL 6-1/297 DL 6-3/250 DL 6-4/280 DL 6-2/305 DL 6-3/260
Yr. SR FR SO FR SO SO SR FR SO SO FR SO SO SO SO JR JR SO SR SO SO JR JR SO SO R-FR FR FR JR JR JR FR FR R-SO JR SO FR SR FR SR SO SR FR JR SR SR FR SO FR FR JR R-JR R-SR JR SR FR FR SO SR SO SO R-FR SR JR SO SO R-FR R-FR JR SO SR FR JR JR R-FR R-FR FR SO JR SO SR FR JR JR SO JR FR R-JR SR FR FR FR FR FR R-JR JR JR R-FR SO FR SR SO JR R-FR SR FR FR R-FR SO FR FR R-FR FR F-FR SO SO SR JR FR
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Hometown (Last School) Mesquite, Texas Allen, Texas New Orleans Scottsdale, Ariz. New Orleans Yoakum, Texas (Blinn College) Texarkana, Texas (Oregon) Gladewater, Texas Sheveport, La. Georgetown, Texas (Blinn JC) Cedar Hill, Texas Lancaster, Texas Chandler, Ariz. Sealy, Texas Scottsdale, Ariz. Seattle San Antonio (Tyler JC) Gilmer, Texas San Antonio Houston Lufkin, Texas Wiggins (Miss. Gulf Coast CC) Klein, Texas Arlington, Texas Houston College Station, Texas Cypress, Texas Boutte, La. Orange, Texas Gilmer, Texas Carthage, Texas Sulphur Springs, Texas New Orleans Henderson, Texas Honolulu, Hawai’i Pearland, Texas Cypress, Texas Brookshire, Texas Conroe, Texas Southlake, Texas Forney, Texas Reading, Pa. New Orleans Tempe, Ariz. (UCLA) Arlington, Texas Austin, Texas Newton, Texas Rosenberg, Texas Splendora, Texas Whitehouse, Texas Lafayette, La. (Hutchinson CC) Conroe, Texas Daphne, Ala. Alexandria, La. Wichita Falls, Texas College Station, Texas Tarpon Springs, Fla. Humble, Texas Strongsville, Ohio Tomball, Texas Katy, Texas Grapevine, Texas Brenham, Texas Cedar Park, Texas Houston College Station, Texas Tomball, Texas Katy, Texas Klein, Texas (TCU) Allen, Texas Roscoe, Texas Plano, Texas Amarillo, Texas Fort Bend, Texas Garland, Texas Dallas The Woodlands, Texas Houston Flower Mound, Texas (Tarleton State) Dallas Missouri City, Texas Plano, Texas Santa Rosa, Texas Montgomery, Texas Austin, Texas Richmond, Texas Lufkin, Texas Southaven (East Mississippi CC) Corona, Calif. Houston Houston Montgomery, Texas Buda, Texas Rockwall, Texas Denville, N.J. (Lackawanna College) Pacifica, Calif. (City College of San Francisco) Houston Manvel, Texas Dallas Flower Mound, Texas Seguin, Texas Angleton, Texas San Antonio Troy, Texas Abbeville, La. Houston Fort Worth, Texas Dallas Westlake Village, Calif. San Antonio Richmond, Texas Graham, Texas Clear Lake, Texas Nederland, Texas Longview, Texas San Antonio New Orleans Spring, Texas Ennis, Texas
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KNOW YOUR OPPONENT: TEX AS A&M Head coach: Kevin Sumlin (fourth season at Texas A&M, 33-12; 68-29 overall)
Last meeting: Ole Miss went to Kyle Field last October and followed its win over Alabama with a 35-20 win over the Aggies, avenging a pair of home losses to A&M the previous two seasons. Bo Wallace ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the Rebels got two defensive scores.
of the Year to throw to in Christian Kirk, who’s been electric in making life in this league look easy. Kirk leads all SEC receivers with 101.5 yards per game and is second with 6.5 receptions per game. Davis The only SEC team that otter P passes for more yards a Sports Editor game than the Aggies? Ole Miss, which is also tops in the league with 43.6 points per game. That’s good news for the Rebels in a game where the first team to 30 may win.
Same old offense: Whether it’s been Johnny Manziel, Kenny Hill, Kyle Allen or Kyler Murray operating the controls of Sumlin’s offense, the Aggies continue to put up big numbers through the air and on the scoreboard. A&M is throwing for 291 yards and scoring 36.5 points per game with Allen, a sophomore, and Murray, a freshman, splitting the reps. And both have the frontrunner for SEC Freshman
Myles away: Start a fantasy college football draft, give me the first pick, and I’d think real hard about using it on Myles Garrett, A&M’s freak of a defensive end (that’s a compliment). A year after breaking Jadeveon Clowney’s SEC freshman single-season sack record a season ago, the 6-foot-5, 262-pound Garrett is, well, doing Myles Garrett things. His 8.5 sacks are tops in the league and he averages
Results: beat Arizona State 38-17, beat Ball State 56-23, beat Nevada 44-27, beat Arkansas 28-21 (OT), beat Mississippi State 30-17, lost to Alabama 41-23
a league-best 1.92 tackles for loss each time out. In other words, arguably the nation’s best defensive lineman lives in opponents’ backfields. Laremy Tunsil couldn’t be coming back at a better time as it’ll be an All-American matchup Saturday night inside VaughtHemingway Stadium, and the Rebels need him to play at that level immediately against Garrett. If not, well… Worth noting: Exactly who will take snaps for A&M on Saturday is unknown. Allen has started all six games for the Aggies with the speedy Murray coming on to give the offense a change of pace at times, but Allen took a shot to his shoulder late in last week’s disaster against Alabama and wasn’t the same. Allen told reporters in College Station, Texas, earlier this week that he’s getting treatment and should be ready to go against Ole Miss, but that could be him trying to convince himself as much as anybody else wanting to know what his status is for Saturday. Allen ranks third in SEC in total
TEXAS A&M ATHLETICS
A&M defensive end Myles Garrett has terrorized every offense he’s run up against since breaking on the scene as a freshman a season ago.
offense per game (275.7 yards per game), and the Aggies could go from that to a freshman that’s got 259 yards to his name. My guess is there’s no way Allen doesn’t play in a game that will all but eliminate the loser from the Western Division race, but that Ole Miss pass defense will take any break it can get. —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
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Fast start propels Ole Miss past Aggies on road By Jake Thompson Assistant Sports Editor
Texas A&M comes to Oxford on Saturday in a game that has gone from a potential Southeastern Conference Western Division title showdown with playoff implications to two teams trying to regain momentum. Last season, the then No. 3-ranked Rebels headed into College Station, Texas after knocking off previously unbeaten Alabama. It was supposed to be a trap game for Ole Miss, whom experts claimed would suffer heavy hangover effects from the previous week’s major victory. That could not have been fur-
ther from the truth. Ole Miss jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead three minutes into the second quarter and never looked back, beating the Aggies 35-20. The game took place in front of 110,633 loud, screaming fans at Kyle Field. The attendance number was the largest ever to watch a football game at any level in Texas. The Rebels were unfazed by their surroundings the entire 60 minutes. “To come out of here with a victory in this difficult environment against a very difficult, talented team is very exciting for our program,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said postgame. “We have some great fans who made the trip. I could hear them all night.”
LOOKBACK: TEXAS A&M 2014 Senior quarterback Bo Wallace threw just 19 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. But he did the most damage with his feet — and in quick order. Wallace ran for touchdowns of 4 and 10 yards in the opening quarter. He also used his feet to convert a couple big third downs, including one where he gave up his body to leap over a couple Aggie defenders for the first down. “As soon as I broke out of the pocket, I knew I was going to do whatever I was going to do to try and get the first down,” Wallace said. “I didn’t think I was going
to jump, but it was just kind of reactionary when I got there.” Safety Cody Prewitt followed with a 75-yard pick-six, and all of a sudden, Ole Miss had a 21-0 lead with nearly 12 minutes left to play in the first half. “We knew that if we were going to have any success in this game that we were going to have to come out early and kind of set the tone for ourselves,” Prewitt said.
Putting it away
The Aggies did not go away as they put together a 14-play, 58-yard drive to get on the board midway through the third quarter. Running back Trey Williams capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.
The Texas A&M momentum was short-lived as Wallace hit Quincy Adeboyejo for a 33-yard touchdown pass, making it a three-score game once again. The Rebels’ defense extinguished any hopes the Aggies had of a comeback on Texas A&M’s next possession. Linebacker Keith Lewis recovered a fumble by quarterback Kenny Hill for a 21-yard scoop-and-score, giving Ole Miss a 35-7 lead. Hill’s night was made difficult by the Landshark defense. He did throw for 401 yards but needed more than 50 attempts to do so. “We got some turnovers and a couple scores on defense,” defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said. “That’s how you play D.” —jake.thompson@oxfordeagle.com
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Fleet-footed Haynes tweaks game for better rush By Davis Potter Sports Editor
Marquis Haynes is fast on a football field. Ole Miss’ wiry defensive end burst on the scene as a newcomer last year with his quick first step and finishing burst to lead the Rebels in sacks, but Haynes has recently refined some technique to add to his natural swiftness. Though it wasn’t apparent to the naked eye last season while the Jacksonville, Florida, native chased quarterbacks down to the tune of 7.5 sacks, Haynes wasn’t as fast as he could be because of a wide stance. It slowed the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder down when trying to bend around an offensive lineman, something defensive line coach Chris Kiffin noticed and helped Haynes correct. “I had to change my stance,” Haynes said. “My stance was too wide for me to get up off the ball, but now I’ve closed my stance a little bit and I’m faster off the ball.” Some tutoring from a former Ole Miss standout and NFL AllPro didn’t hurt. Former All-SEC defensive end Derrick Burgess, who played 10 seasons in the NFL after starring for the Rebels from 19972000, frequently attends Ole Miss’ practices and took some time the week before the Rebels played New Mexico State to assess Haynes’ stance and offer some tweaking. “He was just saying this is why you can’t really turn the corner because your stance,” Haynes said. “My stance was always going up and not following my foot, but now we worked on it. “It’s a real honor to be coached by someone who already played at this level and even higher. It’s a real good thing.” The change paid immediate dividends. Haynes collected two sacks against NMSU, helping him again lead the Rebels in that category with 3.5 through seven games. Haynes is also second on the team with five tackles for loss and has tallied 20 total stops. “I noticed a real difference in how fast I was getting off,” Haynes said of his performance against NMSU. “When I got the first sack, I was like, ‘Did I really just get back here that fast?’ It was like, ‘Wow.’” But Haynes has been the only consistent threat to get to the quarterback for an Ole Miss defense that’s mustered just 11 sacks, which is tied for fourth-fewest in the SEC. Robert Nkemdiche, a defensive tackle, and Mike Hilton, a safety, are next with 1.5 sacks apiece. The lack of pressure hasn’t helped a defense that’s allowing nearly 230 yards a game through the air. The line’s speed as a whole has worked against it at times. “We’ve just been rushing and leaving gaps wide open so (the quarterback) can run through,” Haynes said. “Coach Kiffin, he noticed the problem and what was going on. He’s seen that we’re getting good speed, but we’re just going too far past the quarterback. “We change that by knowing where the quarterback’s level is and getting to him and closing the pocket on him. Closing all the gaps.” —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
BRUCE NEWMAN
With help from coaches and former Ole Miss standout Derrick Burgess, sophomore defensive end Marquis Haynes (27) has added technique to his raw athleticism to establish himself as one of the Rebels’ top pass rushers.
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Move to center of offensive line ‘comes natural’ for Bell By Jake Thompson Assistant Sports Editor
It has been a revolving door when it comes to the Rebels’ offensive line. Injuries and NCAA violations have kept the group from even remotely looking like people anticipated it would at the onset of the season. This week is no different as it is the same song, different day. It was revealed Monday that Robert Conyers was finished for the season after suffering an ACL injury to his right knee against Memphis. The junior, who had been the starting center, had been battling a banged-up left leg dating back to last season, but with him out for good, the need for depth at center arises. Enter senior Justin Bell Bell has been moonlighting at center since spring practice earlier this year. His role as a potential backup increased after junior tackle Laremy Tunsil was forced to sit out the first half of the season due to an NCAA investigation pertaining to rules violations. The need to make the rest of the offensive linemen versatile became a necessity to combat any injuries and other unforeseen circumstances. Bell was a part of that plan, and Saturday night against Texas A&M, Bell could see his first live snaps at center as a Rebel. He’s listed as Ben Still’s backup on the updated depth chart. “We’ll see how it goes,” Bell said. “I just have to trust my snaps. Sometimes my snaps come back there a little too fast. We worked on it (Sunday), and they looked pretty good. So we’ll see how it goes this week at practice. With Conyers being down, it really gives me a chance to really, really focus on it and a chance to really work at it.” For Bell, who normally plays the guard position, moving around the offensive line is not anything that has become new to him. His experience at center goes back much further than March of this year, which is something he will have to rely on heavily with five straight Southeastern Conference defensive lines to face the rest of the season. “I enjoy playing center, It kind of comes natural,” Bell said. “My first position in
BRUCE NEWMAN
Senior offensive lineman Justin Bell (68) has spent most of his career at guard, but Bell will finish it at center after Robert Conyers was lost for the season to a torn ACL last week. Bell has getting reps at center since the spring.
football was center. I was No. 22. That was back in my Pop Warner days. I’m used to playing center. I played center in high school my freshman year.” As has been the case for any new starter on the offensive front this season the experience gained during the week in practice
against the defense has been invaluable. Even a seasoned veteran such as Bell knows how useful it can be to play against the likes of Fadol Brown and Robert Nkemdiche week in and week out. “I feel like we’ve got the best d-line in the nation, so I’m going against the best
every day in practice,” Bell said. “I’m pretty sure that transitioning to the game won’t be too tough on me. The coaches love the fact that I know the offense and the terminology. It’s just getting the game reps. So we’ll see how that goes.” —jake.thompson@oxfordeagle.com
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Season: Things could spiral with loss Continued from Page 3 Yet Ole Miss can’t stop anything through the air — C.J. Johnson and Tony Conner won’t solve all the problems on the back end — an offensive line that struggled to get push last season is seemingly going backward this season, and when things start going bad, there’s been no stopping it, which is starting to become a bit of a trend under Freeze. The Rebels have been outscored 147-37 in their last four losses. Last Saturday, Memphis quickly erased the Rebels’ 14-0 lead with 31 unanswered points that left players dumbfounded earlier this week. “As soon as something goes wrong, everything kind of crumbles,” tight end Evan Engram said. “We can’t allow that. We don’t have a lot of consistency, and we’ve been having a lot of penalties and a lot of things hurting us — turnovers and stuff — that we didn’t have when we played (Alabama).” It got so bad Saturday that senior safety Trae Elston questioned the desire of some of his teammates, opining that “a lot of people
B’s
on our team, we don’t have our heart into it.” That’s about the last thing you want to hear right before the biggest stretch of a season that’s clearly on the brink for Ole Miss begins Saturday against Texas A&M. As bad as things have been since that night in Alabama, the Rebels still technically control their own destiny in the race for the SEC West title, and there are at least some players who think that goal is still realistic. “The only people that are going to stop us are ourselves,” quarterback Chad Kelly said. “Not only can we stop ourselves, at the end of the day, we’re all we have. Why not just go out there and play balls to the wall every single play and know that you’re the best team out there? If you know you’re the best, you have to go out and prove it. Memphis did that. They went out there and were a lot hungrier I think for sure, and we just have to match it every single time we step out on the field.” Maybe the Rebels do that against A&M. Maybe Freeze puts the ball in Kelly’s throwing hand more often, Tunsil neutralizes Myles
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Garrett in his first game back, the receivers have a field day, the defense starts tackling, and Ole Miss does just enough to slow down Kyle Allen, Kyler Murray, Christian Kirk and the rest of the Aggies’ playmakers to notch a springboard win for the final four games. But what if the Aggies jump ahead 10-0? Or 14-0? Or 21-7? What if Ole Miss never recovers, becomes the victim of another drubbing and falls out of any kind of title contention with another thud? What happens if a year that this program has billed as the year since
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signing Tunsil, Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell and Conner three Februarys ago is over before November? What’s the motivating factor for the last month should Ole Miss lose, especially for the quartet of the aforementioned names who may all be just months away from an NFL contract worth millions? “We are going to see Saturday night if the heart is there,” Freeze said earlier this week. A springboard or a tailspin? Feels like we’re about 60 minutes away from finding out. —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
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CB Webster has ‘a lot of trust’ in his teammates in second year By Jake Thompson Assistant Sports Editor
BRUCE NEWMAN
Sophomore cornerback Kendarius Webster will be relied on even more following the abrupt decision by Tee Shepard to give up football.
The Ole Miss defense has seen a makeover throughout the season due to players graduating from last season to injuries sustained during this year and even players leaving the team. One player who has benefitted from all of those factors, or as much as one player can, has been sophomore cornerback Kendarius Webster. Getting onto the field is not a new feeling for Webster as he played in every game last season. Starting games is a whole other thing as he went from starting only one game last season to all seven games so far this year. The pressure that comes with what is expected of Webster in this newfound role has been eased by how he has grown from Year 1 to Year 2 as well as the chemistry he’s formed with his teammates. “With me being here for my second year,
I have a lot of trust with my teammates,” Webster said. “That makes me very comfortable playing.” The loss of Tony Conner to injury and Tee Shepard leaving the team a couple weeks ago has caused some shuffling on the defensive side of things. Webster has faired well with 22 tackles on the season, with 14 of them being solo tackles. He also has six pass breakups as well as six passes defended.
Webster used the offseason to become stronger and hit the playbook hard, studying to fully understand the defense. He did not keep his improvements exclusively within the weight room and playbook. He has also had to improve his fundamentals and learn how to better defend passes as he has had his fair share of pass interference calls this season. See WEBSTER on Page 14
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THE RECRUITING FILE
Small-town Connor ‘blessed’ to be grabbing big-time attention By Jake Finnen Sports Writer
DAVIS POTTER
North Panola standout Justin Connor is one of four running backs committed to Ole Miss.
There are a handful of athletes who can control a game without having possession of the ball. Justin Connor from North Panola is one of them. When No. 3 of North Panola steps on the field, linebackers, defensive linemen, safeties, coaches and fans all take notice. It is hard not to take notice when it seems like the offensive strategy is to simply give Connor the ball. When North Panola faced Water Valley last Friday, Connor nearly carried his team for as long as he could. Scoring the only three touchdowns for North Panola, Connor slipped and finessed his
way through the defense over and over again. After North Panola gave up a big touchdown run, Connor had one thought on the next possession. “Give me the ball,” he said. Sure enough, Connor got the ball and responded with an even more impressive 76-yard run. What separates Connor from the rest is his willingness to learn and the excitement he has to play under his future head coach, Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze. Connor, a consensus-four star prospect in the 2016 recruiting cycle, is one of four running backs verbally committed to the Rebels. When asked what he was looking forward to the most next year, Connor responded, “I am ready to get a feel of the college and
work my way up. Coach Freeze is a great guy and a great coach. There are things I need to work on and I need to get better, but I am going to keep working and try to be the best.” Connor praises the speed, patience and elusiveness of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell. Connor has a very similar style by complementing breakaway speed with enough power to lower the shoulder and fight off defenders. Playing for a small-town team such as North Panola, which is located in Sardis, and the thought of playing for his family is what fuels the motor to keep Connor going. See CONNOR on Page 15
JUSTIN CONNOR SCHOOL: North Panola POSITION: RB HEIGHT: 5-foot-11 WEIGHT: 195 pounds THE 411: Playing at a 3A school in Mississippi hasn’t kept Connor from being noticed by a host of schools, but the speedy athlete, who’s been verbally committed to Ole Miss since last August, has stayed firm in his pledge to the Rebels. Connor has the versatility to possibly line up in the slot as a receiver at times at the next level.
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Trial by fire
The trust and chemistry was not something only Webster had to work on. Losing veteran players like Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson from a season ago has caused there to be a lot of youth on the defense. The growing pains have been great for Webster and the rest of a young Rebel defense that’s had to go through a sort of trial by fire with a schedule that involves playing Southeastern Conference offenses. “There’s not a lot of veterans as there was, but there’s a lot of brothers on the team,” Webster said. “We love each other and pretty much trust each other. It’s not hard to (build chemistry). We hang outside
— CornerbaCk kendarius Webster
on adjusting to different offenses
of football, and that makes our connection much stronger on the field.” Webster had been part of a three-man rotation at corner with Shepard and Tony Bridges. That has now become a two-man rotation with Webster and Bridges. The loss of a player, causing the responsibilities to be greater, has not bothered the Stockbridge, Georgia native. “We have enough depth, but it was a big loss with us losing Tee,” Webster said. —jake.thompson@oxfordeagle.com
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“Technique-wise, I trust my technique and go 100 miles per hour each play,” Webster said. “Each week, it is a different breaking point or crossing point to cross a receiver’s face. You just have to have a feel for it.”
“Technique-wise, I trust my technique and go 100 miles per hour each play. Each week, it is a different breaking point or crossing point to cross a receiver’s face. You just have to have a feel for it.”
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Webster: DBs still building chemistry Continued from Page 12
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Seek: Rebels unsure of which QB they’ll see Continued from Page 4 “It would change our scheme,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “They are two different guys for sure. You have to change. I’m not real sure of what the injury was. I’ve been locked in on us. But it would change us.” The Rebels will also have to deal with SEC sack leader Myles Garrett off the edge but are getting a boost with the return of All-American left tackle Laremy Tunsil from suspension. Ole Miss will need Tunsil and
the rest of its offensive pieces in rhythm to keep up with an A&M offense averaging 36.5 points a game. Ole Miss leads the SEC at 43.6 points a game, and Saturday could turn into a season-defining shootout that determines which direction the Rebels’ season goes from here. “It’s testing times,” Freeze said. “We must show great resolve and leadership moving forward, shut out the negativity and remain true to our core values.” —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
Connor: Senior pushes for family, community Continued from Page 13 “My family and the community I come from make me strive harder,” Connor said. “It is a very small town with little things to do.” It should be no surprise that Ole Miss and Freeze are excited to see what Connor can bring to the Rebels’ offense. Connor is scheduled to take his official visit to Ole Miss on Jan. 29, and he has enjoyed every minute of the recruiting process.
“Getting the attention and calls to play for a Division I program is the best feeling, and I am blessed,” Connor said. “I thank God for everything, and it is a dream come true.” The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Connor has already eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the Cougars’ first eight games, including a 292-yard, three-touchdown performance against Water Valley. He’s one of four running backs currently committed in the Rebels’ 2016 class.
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