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Ole Miss played seven freshman Monday on defense. That is a lot to ask under any circumstances.
Those circumstances were on national television, the highlight game of an incredible weekend against the No. 4 team in the country.
Mistakes were made in the 45-34 loss to Florida State. More importantly for the Rebels, bodies were lost. On the opening defensive possession of the game, junior corner Kendarius Webster was lost for the season with a knee injury.
In the secondary, freshmen Myles Hartsfield, Jalen Julius, Montrell Custis and Jaylon Jones all played against Florida State’s three leading receivers from a year ago. Hartsfield and sophomore Zedrick Woods started at defensive back and free safety.
“Made some mistakes that you kind of expect them to, but we also had some made by some other kids that really cost us at times,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference.
It was a blind date against Seminoles freshman quarterback Deondre Francois, who threw for 419 yards on 33-of-52 passing with 2 touchdowns. Florida State scored 33 straight points to stage an epic comeback.
The next challenge isn’t near the caliber, but Wofford comes to Oxford on Saturday in a quick turnaround for the Rebels, who dropped from No. 11 to No. 19 in the latest AP Top 25. Wofford runs a triple-option offense.
It may be a challenge considering the changes that need to be undetaken. Freeze didn’t get into specifics, but he did say the staff isn’t ruling out moving pieces and adjusting schemes.
The usual move-a-runner-to-the-secondary theory doesn’t hold. Ole Miss also lost No. 2 running back Eric Swinney for the season. He left the game with a knee injury as well. The Rebels were already without former No. 2 Jordan Wilkins, out for the year for academic reasons beyond his control.
“We definitely are looking at any option, particularly at corner,” Freeze said. “We’re always our worst critics. Are we doing things that our kids, No. 1, can they do it and can they understand it really fast? We’re always looking.
“Florida State has got speed, athleticism and made plays, but some of it was either (our guys) did not understand it or didn’t have the capability of performing the task. We, as coaches, have to look at that and make sure we make corrections there.”
At the same time, the depth is young in the secondary, but deep nonetheless. SEC competition will determine whether changes need to be made or whether guys grow faster than they originally had to.
Webster was the best one-on-one guy. His loss forced senior Tony Bridges to the boundary some, an area out of his comfort zone. Freeze called on Bridges to work on his technique and, along with senior Carlos Davis, to lead the young group that will surely be tested against SEC offenses paying attention to the vulnerable group and licking their chops.
“I looked out there the other night, and we had four freshmen DBs on the field,” Freeze said. “Some mistakes were made, and you’ve got to learn from those. They did some good things, too, and I think are going to be really good players. But there is a transition period.”
Wofford won’t be the test to prove who belongs where, as much for the type of offense it runs as it is the level of competition. The two weeks following will tell a tale: Alabama and Georgia to close the September portion of the schedule.
