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Ole Miss may not know exactly what it’s getting into with new Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois, but the Rebels know plenty about facing running backs the caliber of Seminoles junior Dalvin Cook.
Cook rushed for nearly 1,700 yards last season and earned Second-Team All-American honors by the Associated Press. No matter who starts under center, Cook’s dramatic production increase from freshman to sophomore is a clear indication that he makes Florida State’s offense go.
It won’t be Ole Miss’ first rodeo. The rugged SEC West has it prepared. As was just mentioned, Cook was a Second-Team All-American. Who did the AP select as the first-teamers? That would be Alabama’s Derrick Henry and LSU’s Leonard Fournette.
In 2015, Ole Miss was one of only six teams to hold Henry to less than 130 yards when he rushed for 127 in Ole Miss’ win. In the outing before facing Fournette, the Rebels were one of only five teams to hold Arkansas’ Alex Collins under 110 yards.
Then against LSU, Fournette’s 108 yards in Oxford was his third-lowest total of the season. The previous two games were the other two, also losses, laying the Rebels’ defensive focus squarely on Fournette. That’s where it will be on Sept. 5 in Orlando.
Holding the country’s best rushers in check leads to wins. There is an argument that Cook is the best.
After arriving as a five-star recruit, he broke the school’s freshman rushing record with 1,008 yards, and last season he joined Warrick Dunn as the only Seminoles with multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
Ole Miss’ defensive line has fared well against its own offense in practice and has plenty of bodies to go in and out. The challenge with Cook is his explosiveness as he shows good patience in waiting for a gap before exploding through it.
It will be the first of many tests for the Rebels’ linebackers: 2015 leading tackler DeMarquis Gates in his expanded starting role, senior Terry Caldwell, transfers Detric Bing-Dukes and Rommel Mageo and converted freshman tight end Willie Hibbler.
The ends, namely Marquis Haynes, will be a test for Francois, but when Francois dumps it to Cook, Ole Miss will find out a lot about its defense.
The Rebels have a Heisman contender in QB Chad Kelly. Cook is expected to contend for Florida State. It will be fun to watch Haynes and Florida State DE DeMarcus Walker – both top 20 in the NCAA in sacks a season ago – test their backfield skills against Kelly and Cook.
The Rebels held their own and more against the SEC West’s two Heisman hopefuls last season. Post-Robert Nkemdiche, either the Rebels will build some defensive confidence heading into games against Alabama and Georgia or Cook will get off to a hot campaign start.
It’s a matchup that could very well determine the outcome of a top 15 Labor Day showdown.
