Ole Miss Football: A Positive Look At The Longo Offense
It’s hard not to love this Longo offense as a Ole Miss football fan. Like everything else it will only get better in time, and that’s saying a lot!
Ole Miss football finds itself in a unique situation this season. After two wins there is a feeling of ‘special’ in the air. Oh I know, it’s easy to get caught up in the first couple of cupcake wins and look at the future in an overly positive way. However, in two games this offense has broken two single-game records.
Of course, in the South Alabama game we watched AJ Brown break the single-game receiving record. Then yesterday we saw Shea set a new single-game passing record. Please don’t try to tell me this isn’t a special season with a special offense. It already has been a huge success.
So what makes this Phil Longo offense click? One thing is the QB. Shea Patterson is coming into his sophomore season on a rocket. He has two wins under his belt already and has had an outstanding performance in each game. Shea fully realizes he has the reins of one of the most prolific offenses in the SEC and in the nation.
If you look at the UT-Martin game itself then you can see they played well under pressure. With a heightened sense of urgency in the second half, Shea and Co were lights out. That’s the difference between a good offense and a great offense. With Shea and Co this is truly a great offense.
Speed Is The Key
Ole Miss Rebels Football
Speed is one element of the Ole Miss offense we’ve grown used to over the past five seasons under former coach Hugh Freeze. Of course, we now have a new interim head coach who is looking forward to his second win.
One thing Matt Luke has had to deal with is a staff hired by Hugh Freeze. So far there is no issues with the staff. Coach Luke has a great staff and as an offensive mind he has embraced his former coaches new hires.
Coach Phil Longo wants to go fast and he has the support of his head coach. Luke has committed himself to building a resume building season and so far so good. However, Matt Luke wants to go faster.
Production is key to Ole Miss’ success. The more plays we have total, the more big plays this Ole Miss offense produces. It’s a simple philosophy.
When you have play-makers on offense then the more touches they have the better they have the opportunity to produce. Accordingly, I expect Longo and his offense to run at least 20 more plays. That’s what I’m watching for. I want to see the Ole Miss offense go really fast and run the ball more.
The Next Real Challenge
Ok, so Ole Miss football made it thru week two without facing any real defensive equal. That changes this Saturday as Ole Miss travels out west to take on the Golden Bears of Cal. Of course, Cal is no cupcake and playing at Berkeley, California presents its own logistical nightmare for the Rebels.
First off, it’s Pac-12 country and that means legit football on their home field. It will not be an easy home win like South Alabama and UT-Martin. As Doc would say, “this is where the rubber meets the proverbial road.” It’s true. This will be the first ‘big’ test for the Rebels and of course, it’s on the road.
Of course, all of this is going on and interim head coach Matt Luke will be spending much of his week focused on the COI hearing in Kentucky. It’s going to be a busy week for him and for Ole Miss football.
What To Expect Out West
Cal is a good team and are also coming into the game at 2-0 with wins over UNC and Weber State. Of course, the UNC game was a 35-30 road win for the Bears and the latter was a tough game which almost resulted in a Heimlich maneuver to extract a cupcake choke.
Of course, Ole Miss is scheduled the week ahead of USC which basically says Cal thinks of us as a warm-up game for the Trojans. Having studied this Ole Miss offense I think this is a severe scheduling faux pas by Cal. This Ole Miss football team is dangerous because of their offense, plain and simple.
Should Ole Miss find themselves in a late shootout, I really like our chances with Shea Patterson and this offense. Of course, we don’t have to wait long to find out as Saturday fast approaches. I really expect coach Longo to try to speed things up for the Cal game. I clearly expect us to score early, fast and often. Good luck out west Rebels! Hotty Toddy!