The Ole Miss football team has filled one of its needs on the offensive side of the ball, with Phil Longo replacing Dan Werner as the offensive coordinator.
Ole Miss is still looking for the coach to fix the defense, but on the offense, Freeze and crew think that they have found their man.
Phil Longo, offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State, has agreed to become the new offensive coordinator at Ole Miss.
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Longo runs a variation of the air-raid offense. Sam Houston State led the FCS in offense this season, averaging 547.3 yards per game.
Despite Longo’s reputation as a pass-heavy coordinator, SHS threw for 368.3 yards per game, while running for 179 yards.
Sam Houston State ran the ball 447 times this season while throwing for 546 attempts. So the belief that Longo is a pass-only coach is not true.
Longo’s offense is styled after Mike Leach’s but runs the run-pass-option and attacks running lanes a bit more often.
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Look for Ole Miss to incorporate bubble screens, RPO rushes, and double post routes into their offense in the future, something that Ole Miss fans should be used to seeing by now.
With the talent at Ole Miss, Longo should be able to continue to run his offense with ease.
In an interview with Krossover.com, Longo goes into his offensive strategy.
"It all starts with the QB. He has to understand that he is going to be a distributor of the football. The QB has to be accurate, a leader, and know the game. He’s going to be running fewer plays so it is important that he is efficient."
With Shea Patterson as his quarterback for the next two seasons at least, Longo will have time to find a replacement once Patterson leaves the school. But for now, Shea is one of the best at distributing the football.
In Longo’s offense, the quarterback position is likened to point guard in basketball.
"The O-line is just as important. Spacing is important and the guys in the trenches have to play heads up and be quick on their feet to allow the play to unfold."
With Matt Luke staying at Ole Miss, the offensive line should continue to be reliable enough. But things do need to improve on the line, especially with the talent that was brought in last season.
"Keep it simple as a coach. Frame your offense around 25 plays. As soon as you expand the playbook, you are stealing reps from your players during practice. We want them to master 10 pass plays, as opposed to the average of 25."
I really like this quote, as it proves that Longo is a perfectionist and that is what Ole Miss needs right now.
There is no reason the offense should know 30 plays if they are only going to run 10 different plays all game.
"It’s all about adjustments during the game. Your plays won’t even look like what they do on the board. You have to get open. It’s important to teach your receivers how to create space within individual matchups."
This is something that Ole Miss has struggled with in the past in my opinion. If Longo can utilize the stars at the position, Ole Miss could be in for a show.
"Get to a point where players know your offense so well that they play without thinking. We grade guys on an instinctiveness standpoint. If they grade at a one, they can run the offense easily. A two, and they make a few mistakes but are not yet masters of the offense. A three means they are still making mental mistakes and a four means they are still thinking every down."
I love this quote as well. It shows that Longo can evaluate and make tough decisions when it comes to players, something that can only help the Ole Miss offense.
Here is a video of the Sam Houston State offense for your enjoyment.
I like this hire from a fan perspective. Longo should be able to build a strong offense that will be impressive within the SEC.
But this is a huge risk for Ole Miss and Hugh Freeze. This is Freeze’ last chance to make a coaching change to save his job at Ole Miss.
If Longo comes in and the team stays at 5-7, Freeze and Longo could both be looking for new jobs.
You also have to worry about recruiting. How does the hiring of Longo affect Cam Akers and other Ole Miss recruits? These are questions that Longo and Ole Miss will have to answer.