Ole Miss Football: How To Make The Grove Bowl A Success On The Field

The annual Ole Miss Grove Bowl is on tap for April 8th. There are things we need to see on Saturday, in order for this to be deemed a successful Spring game.

Last year’s Grove Bowl was cancelled due to the football field’s upgrades taking place at the time. Therefore, this year’s game will be the first in two years. This is, however, a highly anticipated Grove Bowl. After a disappointing 5-7 season last year, many fans are anxious to put that bad taste out of our mouths.

Last year’s team showed glaring weaknesses. Those weaknesses caused a few coaching changes. It also showed where there was a lack of successful recruiting in certain positions. So this year’s Grove Bowl gives the team an opportunity to exorcise the demons of last year.

The Spring game is not deemed a success by what’s on the scoreboard. In order for this to be a successful Grove Bowl there are certain things we should see from the team.  So while cheering on the Rebels, let’s look for these few things.

Longo’s Offense

The Ole Miss Rebels had record breaking offensive numbers under former offensive coordinator Dan Werner. So his departure, had many Rebel fan’s wondering how the offense would change for the following season? In comes Phil Longo.

Longo was the former offensive coordinator for FCS school Sam Houston St. Many fans have questioned whether his offense will be transferable to the SEC. Saturday will be the first time to see this offense in action.

Sure, we will not see the full offense at 100 percent. However, we should see a good sampling of what will be in store for us during the 2017 season. Reports from spring practice have been positive. Fans want to see cohesiveness with the new offense. They want the offense to at least be as effective as it has always been. Any step back will be seen as a failure.

McGriff’s Defense

He is known by those who have played under him simply as “Crime Dawg”. However, defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff brings more to Ole Miss than just a catchy nickname. Crime Dawg brings an energy and physicality to the practice which is reminiscent of the old “landshark” defense.

This defense was in need of energy. Watching the Rebels play during the 2016 season did not mirror the defense that once caused teams to fear us. Ole Miss could not stop teams from putting up points in the second half. Therefore, the Rebels lost a few games due to second half collapses. McGriff hopes to end those nightmare finishes.

Saturday, during the Grove Bowl, Rebels fans want to see improvement on that side of the ball. They want to see energy and crisp tackling. We know the change will not be immediate, however, Rebel fans expect to see a step in the right direction.

Linebacker Play

The play from the linebacker position last year was abysmal. It was clear that years of unsuccessful recruiting of that position finally came back to bite us. It wasn’t that the players were not trying. They just were not able to make the plays required to be a stout defense.

Ole Miss Rebels Football

This year, the Rebels have made the linebacker position one of importance. They recruited several linebackers to come and make an immediate impact. Ole Miss added players like Breon Dixon, Mohamed Sanogo and Josh Clarke. Plus, Brenden Williams coming over from JUCO will help add depth.

The Rebels  will be returning leading tackler DeMarquis Gates, former JUCO transfer Detric Bing-Dukes and Donta Evans. There is an expectation that with more talent and a possibly different scheme from Coach McGriff, the linebackers should be able to improve from last year’s failures.

Saturday at the Grove Bowl, Ole Miss fans expect to see a step in the right direction. We want to be reminded of the D.T. Shackleford/Serderius Bryant days. We know it won’t all be there now but we want to leave Saturday believing that it can come back. The Rebel’s defensive dominance will start at the potency of the linebacker position. If they are serviceable the defense will be decidedly better than it was last year.

Backup Quarterback

The Rebels have spent the past five season with the starting quarterback job pretty much sewn up. This year is the same. Shea Patterson is the future and the present at the QB position. There is no open competition. His performances at the end of last season was enough to get the Rebel faithful excited about what he could do as the number one option at the position.

Rebel fans will be watching who lines up as the back up. There is a question as to who will go into the Fall as the number two signal caller. The likely leader would be Jason Pellerin who was last year’s back up. Most fans believe that he has earn that spot due to his faithfulness last year. He has also proven to be a true team player.

However, Jordan Ta’amu has shown positive signs during Spring practice. He appears to have the athleticism to be a threat in the backfield. Grant Restmeyer and Graham Lindman are both on the roster, but fans really want to see how Pellerin has grown and how talented Ta’amu will be. Therefore, even though we will be watching the first team offense with Patterson, we will also have an interested eye on who steps up and plays well as the back up.

Receiver Dominance

The one area that Ole Miss has successfully recruited has been the wide receiver position. When you look at the players we have it is hard to believe any other team in the SEC can go as deep with talent as we can. Therefore, Shea Patterson and the other quarterbacks on the roster should feel like a kid in a candy store.

Van Jefferson looks to be ready for break out year. His stats last year were very impressive with 49 receptions with 543 yards and three touchdowns. Now as a sophomore he should be more comfortable with his role. Plus with Longo’s offensive game plan he should see a lot of opportunities.

All the receivers can have a bigger impact. A. J. Brown, D. K. Metcalf and DeMarkus Lodge will be real threats on the outside. Markell Pack has been underrated as pass catcher and will be a factor. The speed of Tre Nixon will be fun to watch and should cause headaches in the slot.

Rebel fans should come away from the Grove Bowl remarking about the talent we have at wide out. We want to see catches. We want to see speed. Rebel fans want to see touchdown passes. Sure, it will make us question the secondary, but we want to know that we can still score points in the air.

Enjoy the Grove Bowl on Saturday. Remember, this is a work in progress and these kids are learning a new scheme. However, do watch for these things and you’ll be able to tell if the Rebels are moving toward success.