HOOVER, Ala. –In Hugh Freeze’s first season at the helm, Ole Miss took some people by surprise and posted a 7-6 record in 2012.
That success, plus a recruiting class ranked fifth in the nation by ESPN, has led to raised expectations around Oxford about what the Rebels can accomplish in year two.
Freeze played down those expectations when he spoke Tuesday at the Southeastern Conference’s Media Days.
“I tell our team quite often that unrealistic expectations, they always produce frustration,” Freeze said. “I don’t care in what area of life that you’re in, if you have an unreal expectation and it does not come to pass, you get very frustrated.”
A big reason for the Rebels’ success was the play of quarterback Bo Wallace. In 2012, Wallace threw for 22 touchdowns, ran for eight more and accounted for more than 3,000 total yards.
The problem is along with those 30 total touchdowns, Wallace threw an SEC-high 17 interceptions. Freeze said Wallace’s play is a key factor for Ole Miss, and his quarterback needs to be more careful with the football.
“I expect for Bo to cut down on his turnovers,” Freeze said. “He kind of plays the game a little bit too free for me at times with the football. He’ll be the first to tell you that. That’s probably the biggest negative of him not going through spring practice, was the fact he didn’t get quality reps against a live defense.”
Wallace missed all of spring practice while recovering from off-season surgery after playing all of 2012 with an injured shoulder. Freeze said Wallace began throwing last week, and both he and the team are happy with where he is in terms of his recovery.
“It’s going good,” Wallace said. “We’re in our last stages. Now I’m just getting to throwing everyday to get ready for camp. It feels good – I have all the confidence in the world in it. I’m just ready to get back out there and compete with my team.”
Ole Miss will need Wallace to be 100 percent for the start of the season. The Rebels play four of their first five games on the road, including trips to Vanderbilt, Texas and Alabama.