How will the Rebels do in 2004? Noone in the country is giving us a prayer of even being competitive, much less competing for the conference championship. With the departure of Eli and a strong group of seniors, we have been "preseason" labeled as weak and untalented.
I say they are dead wrong. Last year was a great season, this year could be a memorable one as well.
First, they say with a "rookie" QB, our offense will suffer. I agree that Eli's decision making and his ability to read defenses will be missed. But, Spurlock will bring a new look that our opponents haven't seen from the Rebels in years. He may not be the pocket passer that his predecessor was, but he will definately command respect with his ability to scramble and make plays on the run. Linebackers will not have the luxury of sitting in the middle of the field or instantly dropping back into coverage like they have in recent years. The threat of a mobile QB will weigh heavy on the mind of opposing defenses.
Our running game.....will be the best it has ever been. Let me repeat that. It will be the best it has ever been. With Jamal Pittman having 2 brand new knees, Alan Abrams having benefitted from a redshirt year, and Vashon Pearson hopefully maturing and "learning to look where he is going and not at the ground", a solid offensive line as good as any, and again the threat of a mobile QB, we WILL run the ball with success. Pittman is unbelievable. I know he has been accident prone, but I really think this year will be his coming out. Abrams is also going to be spectacular. Don't forget Brandon Jacobs either.
Our passing game......well first, our running game will take tons of pressure off of Spurlock. He will have more time than Eli, and being inexperienced, he will need it. We have a great group of receivers returning, and again, our offensive line will be solid.
Our defense..... Huh? Over the past few seasons, our defensive front has slowly beefed up and added more muscle. We have bigger guys than we have had in a while. Our linebackers are solid and it sounds like we have a few JC backs that can make an instant impact. Recently our defense has been our main weakness, and this year may not set any national records, but they will be improved.
Overall.... Who knows? I think 8 or 9 wins would be considered overachieving for this years team. I think it is possible, but we play a pretty tough road schedule this year and as we saw in '03, Memphis is a much improved team. It depends on how Spurlock, or our other QB's, handle the pressure at this level. With Eli, they could knock his head off and the next play he would throw a 50 yard TD. Can these young guys keep it together and not crack when the heat is on? One thing is for certain, we will find out in the first 2 games.
Reb14
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