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2014 Ole Miss Football Position Previews – Quarterbacks

By Dave Bevan

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The 2014 Ole Miss football season is just around the corner. Here at Ole Hotty Toddy, we want to bring you the most coverage you can find to get you prepared for the upcoming season. In this article series, we are going to take an in depth look at each position for the Ole Miss Rebels. We are going to cover what happened with each position in 2013, the impact players of each position, and the future of each position. Hope you enjoy!

We are coming to the end of covering the offense on our 2014 position preview series. What better way to end it than covering the quarterback position? It is the most intriguing position of the entire Ole Miss roster for Rebel fans. Everyone wants to know how healthy Bo Wallace is coming into the season. Are we going to see a 300+ pound player take snaps behind center? Is this the year we see DeVante Kincade or Ryan Buchanan? In this article, we are going to take a look at what the Rebels saw in 2013 at quarterback, what the offseason has looked like, and what to expect in 2014 and the future.

In 2013…

Overall, the 2013 season was a much more improvement for starting quarterback Bo Wallace. Wallace had reduced his interceptions considerably, compared to the previous season. Wallace had one of his best performances in the 2013 game against LSU. Wallace completed 30 of 39 passes in the game against the Tigers and passed for nearly 350 total yards. His performance helped the Rebels upset the top-ten ranked LSU, with a 27-24 victory. But, it was the regular season finale against Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, that left a bad taste in the mouths of Rebel faithful. Sep 7, 2013; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Barry Brunetti (11) carries the ball up the field during the second half against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Wallace had the chance to tie the game for Ole Miss in overtime, but fumbled the ball in the endzone in-route of scoring a touchdown. The ball was recovered by Mississippi State’s Jamerson Love and the Bulldogs upset the Rebels in overtime, 17-10. An identical sequence of events to the 2012 Egg Bowl, but this time the win led the Bulldogs to a bowl-berth.

Also in 2013, the Rebels saw the final season of back-up quarterback Barry Brunetti. Brunetti was seen mostly in redzone situations in the past few seasons. Brunetti finished his senior season with 294 total passing yards and six touchdown passes. Brunetti also racked up 310 total rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.

Wallace finished the 2013 season with 3,346 total passing yards (2nd in the SEC) and 18 touchdown passes. Wallace also picked up 355 total rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. By setting records, and arguably having the best quarterback performances for Ole Miss since Eli Manning, Wallace continues to be labeled as an under-rated quarterback. It will be interesting to see how Bo will perform in 2014. Will he be fully healthy? And, who the hell replaces Brunetti? Those are the questions we want answered.

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During The Offseason…

When Rebel fans got their first glimpse of the Ole Miss Rebels during the annual Grove Bowl this past spring, it was clear Bo Wallace was looking the best he has ever looked since he stepped foot on campus. By the way, I say that comment in the meaning of football performances. Rebel fans also got a sneak peak of Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade. Lets talk about these two for a minute.

Kincade is a dual-quarterback. Like Wallace, Kincade can escape pressure, by running for the first down or goal line when he needs to. What may surprise you is that Kincade does have an arm on him. However, his accuracy is something that is a need of improvement and could give Buchanan the upper-hand in the battle for back-up quarterback.

Dec 30, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace (14) rushes for a touchdown against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Buchanan is a pro-style quarterback. This is a style Ole Miss fans have not seen since Jevan Snead and Eli Manning days. For me personally, I am excited to see if the Rebels will take that approach to their offense. Buchanan has amazing pocket presences and his accuracy out does Kincade. Buchanan arguably had the better performance over Kincade in the annual spring game.

Then there is 300+ pound, Jeremy Liggins. We saw what we were expecting in the annual Grove Bowl game. We saw Jeremy Liggins taking snaps behind center. We are not saying we saw a stellar performance, but we seen it happen. If Liggins can grasp the fact that a football is a football and the intention is to throw it to a guy on your side or hold onto the ball while running, then he could see some snaps this season.

Coach Hugh Freeze on second-string quarterback after the Grove Bowl…

"“It’s a good problem to have. It’s a tough decision. There wasn’t too long ago when we weren’t sure who our one was. Everything is relative. I’m excited about the level of competition between Ryan (Buchanan) and (DeVante) Kincade. Jeremy (Liggins) keeps hanging around. He’s throwing his hat in the ring every now and then. He understands very clearly. We’ll have a meeting next week. I’ll have my individual meeting with most kids. It would be very difficult for him right now to function in our offense for a sustained period of time. You saw that he has some natural gifts that a big man like that normal doesn’t have. We’ve got to manage just what physically he’s going to look like and how we’ll use him best to help our football team. I’m sure glad we have him on our team. I look forward to watching film between Ryan and DeVante. They both do different things. Ryan has some natural pocket presence that’s hard to teach. He’ll hang in there and knows where it’s supposed to be. You saw Kincade do a lot of things with his feet. He’s got a strong arm. I’m excited that we have that competition going on.”"

Coach Hugh Freeze on second-string quarterback during the 2014 SEC Media Days…

"“We have the same type of kid as Brunetti in DaVante Kincade. I’m pleased with he and Ryan Buchanan. They both bring a little different skill set to us. The good thing is they both have used their redshirt year, so I’m not afraid to throw them in for a series here or a series there to see exactly what they do. Then you got the wildcards of Jeremy Liggins and Anthony Alford who could possibly add to that position. I like where we are at the quarterback position right now.”"

“I like where we are at the quarterback position right now.” – Coach Hugh Freeze at the 2014 SEC Media Days

Coach Hugh Freeze on Bo Wallace during the 2014 SEC Media Days…

"“To continue what he’s done. He’s just been overshadowed by some really good players. Continue to cut down on his turnovers, make sure he’s making smart plays most of the time. The guy has a chance to, own every passing record in Ole Miss history before he leaves there. Like I’ve said in many interviews, there’s no way we win two bowl games without him the past two seasons. I think he’s matured quite nicely in the way he leads our team, the way he goes about our business. He feels finally healthy and confident. I really think he’s at a point where he certainly has every avenue right now to step in and be one of the guys in this conference.”"

“The guy has a chance to, own every passing record in Ole Miss history before he leaves there.” – Coach Hugh Freeze on Bo Wallace

In 2014…

We are excited to see what Wallace will bring to the Ole Miss Rebels’ offense in 2014. If you look at Wallace’s track record, he has only improved each season throughout his collegiate career. We expect to see Dr. Bo (as Rebel faithful refer to him) as the starting quarterback in his senior season. That is a given. But, we also expect to see him in the most healthiest state of his career at Ole Miss. If Wallace can maintain that good health throughout the regular season, we could only expect a successful season for Wallace. Maybe, even his best ever at Ole Miss.

Nov 9, 2013; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace (14) drops back to pass during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

With the redshirts used up on both Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade, we expect to see these two seeing some quality playing time in the 2014 season. Who knows, if Wallace’s performance doesn’t meet the standards of expectations or fatigue/injuries plague Wallace during the season, one of these two top-notch talented quarterbacks could play a huge pivotal role to the Ole Miss football season.

If you look at Hugh Freeze in the past, he wants to give what Rebel fans want to see. Remember, in 2013, everyone wanted to see Robert Nkemdiche take a run up the middle with a ball carry on offense. We witnessed that in the very first game against Vanderbilt. So, don’t think for one second, he won’t let Jeremy Liggins take a few snaps this season. Like Nkemdiche at running back, the strategy will be to throw off the defense of the opposing team with Liggins at quarterback. What will be the amazement, is that this 300+ pound kid can run very well.

The Future…

This will be the final season of Wallace’s career at Ole Miss. So, who will replace Wallace in the 2015 season as starting quarterback? All eyes would certain be focused on DeVante Kincade and Ryan Buchanan took make that decision. Buchanan would be my first choice, with Kincade at backup. But, then you have incoming talent like Anthony Alford (former Southern Miss quarterback) and even freshman Kendrick Doss could make some noise come the next offseason.

Only time would tell. Like Freeze has mentioned, it is a position of no concern with a lack of talent.

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