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Recruiting Q and A with Andrew Bone | Weekend Visitors
BamaInsider.com team writer Tony Tsoukalas asked five key questions about the 2-1 Ole Miss Rebels going into Saturday’s contest, and Rebelgrove.com’s Neal McCready answers them.
1. What's the key to slowing down Shea Patterson?
Like most quarterbacks with a quick brain and a big arm, Patterson can tear a team apart if he’s given time. He’s deadly with the deep ball and he loves to keep plays alive with his feet. The key to stopping Patterson is beating Ole Miss on first down, sending different blitz looks at him, having safeties over the top take away the deep ball and having blitzers have the discipline to break down and contain Patterson. Defenders often go for the kill shot on Patterson and he’s adept at escaping those situations, keeping plays alive with his feet and then finding breakdowns in coverage down field.
2. Does Ole Miss have what it takes on defense to rattle Jalen Hurts in the pocket?
No. Really, it’s as simple as that. The Rebels lack team speed on defense, haven’t shown a propensity to get to the quarterback and have not tackled particularly well. Hurts destroyed a bad Ole Miss defense a year ago, and there’s no tangible proof so far this season that this unit is better than its predecessor.
