Improved defense is key for Ole Miss
By Mel Kiper Jr.
Most observers will project the Ole Miss Rebels to finish either in the cellar or in 5th place in the SEC West. This is due mainly to a suspect defense that allowed an average of 38 points in the final five games of 2001. Granted, one of those games was the 58-56 marathon overtime loss to Arkansas. But the Rebels must show significant improvement on D.
In an effort to turn things around, head coach David Cutcliffe brought in Chuck Driesbach as his defensive coordinator. Driesbach, who held the same position at TCU last year, is the Rebels' third defensive coordinator in as many years.
DEFENSE
Driesbach immediately shifted the Rebels to a 4-2-5 scheme, which he hopes will lead to a better run defense.
Ole Miss allowed opponents to rush for 215 yards per game and 5.0 per carry last season. With the new scheme, the Rebels can crowd the box more, walking defenders up toward the line of scrimmage and thus confusing the offense.
The defensive line has been completely revamped, but the Rebels feature a quality veteran linebacker in senior Eddie Strong. Prize recruit Chris Herring, physically talented at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, could compete for significant playing time as a freshman.
The strength of the defense has been the secondary, paced by sophomore FS Eric Oliver, senior SS Matt Grier and senior RCB Chris Knight.
OFFENSE
If the young defense can do a better job of slowing down opponents, the exciting and potentially prolific offense -- led by super blue-chip junior QB Eli Manning -- could become one of the nation's best. Manning weighed 205 pounds at the end of last season, but after an offseason of strength training he's up to 215 and appears ready to make his mark as one of college football's top quarterbacks.
Assisting Manning will be a top-notch, deep receiving corps. Junior Chris Collins has been a dynamic go-to receiver, but the Rebels now have more than one top weapon. Complementing Collins will be senior Jason Armstead, sophomores Bill Flowers and Trey Fryfogle, and three redshirt freshmen who can flat-out fly (Taye Biddle, Mario Hill and Mike Espy).
Besides the host of talented wideouts, Manning also will benefit from the skills of top-flight senior TE Doug Zeigler. Regarded as the best Rebel tight end since Wesley Walls, Zeigler could more than double his 21 receptions of last season, when he missed two games because of a broken arm.
At running back, senior Robert Williams opens as the starter, but the plan is to incorporate heralded juco recruit Ronald McClendon into the attack. The 5-9, 185-pounder came from Butler Community College in Kansas and brings with him game-breaking speed. Senior Toward Sanford replaces Charles Stackhouse (now with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent) at fullback.
Along the O-line, Terrence Metcalf is now with the Chicago Bears, but the Rebels appear to have adequate replacements in either redshirt freshmen Tre' Stallings and Bobby Harris. At left guard, Doug Buckles earned freshman All-American honors last season. And senior Ben Claxton takes a back seat to no other SEC center. Chris Spencer, a top recruit last season, also appears to have a bright future at guard. Currently, he's in the mix with sophomore Marcus Johnson at right guard.
OVERVIEW
With Manning at the helm, the Ole Miss offense should resemble the one Cutcliffe directed when he was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee (and Eli's older brother, Peyton, was QB). This year, the noticeable difference on offense should be Manning's willingness to go downfield more rather than settling for the shorter routes. Manning will stretch the field much more to take advantage of a receiving corps that features a proven star (Collins) and talent that goes eight or nine guys deep. In the backfield, it will be interesting to see how quickly the speedy McClendon makes the transition from the juco ranks. Keep in mind, Zeigler is a first rate, All-American caliber tight end. And the offensive line has proven standouts in Buckles and Claxton as well as several intriguing young prospects. The Rebels will score, but can Driesbach's restructured 4-2-5 defense bring about the necessary improvement? The answer to that question will determine whether Ole Miss can prove the skeptics wrong and push up the ladder in the SEC West -- and earn a trip to a bowl game in the process.
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