Ole Miss leads the Southeastern Conference in passing offense with 459.6 yards per game. The Rebels’ secret to success on offense is the offensive line LSU coach Nick Saban said at his Wednesday press gathering.
“I think the most underrated thing on their team is their offensive line,” Saban said. “I don’t know their status for the game. I know a couple of guys got hurt in the last game, and I haven’t heard much about it, but when those guys are all playing, that is a good offensive line. And they block the plays well, and the runners run the plays well.”
The Rebels execute well on both rushing and passing plays, Saban said.
“They don’t really run different plays but different guys,” Saban said. “They do what they do and all those guys do a pretty good job of it. Whenever they’ve been called on to do it, they’ve contributed extremely well. They’ve had three or four different guys just like we have made a significant impact at that position. The one ‘steady eddie’ form has always been that offensive line.”
Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning has the ability to read defenses and call different plays that work to the Rebels’ advantage, Saban said. He said the Tigers need to disguise what it does on defense to eliminate that advantage. The Tigers usually have the advantage of playing these skilled quarterbacks at home where the crowd can throw them off, but that will not be the case this week, Saban said.
“[Manning] checks off a lot when he does read it,” Saban said. “Disguising is really important. You try to get a feel for the cadence.”
Manning may be the main reason for Ole Miss’s success this season. Saban said the Tigers do not have one player they look to in particular.
“I think one of the keys to our team’s success is the fact that we don’t have one or two identifiable leaders,” Saban said. “We don’t have one or two players who have made just by themselves an absolute supreme difference. I think we have had a lot of guys that have played very, very well.
“I think we’ve made progress as a team, because as a team we’ve improved in all areas.”
Despite the Rebels’ regular defense that features five defensive backs, Saban said the Tigers’ philosophy on offense will not change. Ole Miss ranks next to last in the SEC for total defense, yielding 397.1 yards per game.
“It’s just their system, their scheme,” Saban said. “We’ve played some people who used a similar 4-2-5 scheme … and a couple of those guys are kind of semi-defensive backs, semi-outside linebacker kind of guys.
“They’re kind of a combination guy. They play very well, and their scheme is very sound and solid in what they do.
“I think it’s an easier defense to adjust to everything and that’s why some people use it.”
Injuries
Defensive end Marcus Spears and tight end Demetri Robinson did not practice Wednesday.
Spears had a headache that resulted from a hit to the head he took in practice on Tuesday. Robinson is still suffering from a groin injury.
Saban said there are other players with injuries but they are fighting through practice.