Ole Miss Football: Grading Out the Alabama Game
Coaching Staff
Ok, if you made it this far without breaking your phone or laptop or without looking me up on social media to send a threat then you’ve done well. Try to hang on to that as we go forward. Ok, first I like Matt Luke and I would love to see him succeed. However he is in a no-win situation with this coaching staff.
So far, Matt Luke has failed to make the proper adjustments in two games. Ok, I get it. It was Bama. However, Luke was part of this team when we defeated Bama 2 out of 3 years. He knows what this game means on game-day and also what a win can do for your program. As an offensive guy under Freeze Luke should insist on bringing back the Freeze playbook. I’m sure Phil Longo’s system worked great at Sam Houston State however this is the SEC in the FBS. Apparently it doesn’t work well enough.
Matt Luke needs to take charge and implement some immediate changes if he wants to see the bleeding stop. Longo is way over his head and could use the help. You can’t play a high school offense and expect to do well in the SEC. Luke also needs to take back his offensive line. It’s obvious Bicknell is lost with Longo. All the talent in the world is useless if it’s under-utilized.
Because of the overall performance against Bama and not making proper adjustments in the game early his grade is ugly. His special teams coach is really the only thing which saved him from a failing grade. Luke needs to step it up unless his goal was 3 or 4 wins on the season.
Head Coach Grade, D-
Coordinators
Of course, I’m going to make this short and sweet. Our offense has looked terrible in the past 6 quarters of play going back to the Cal game. I’m not trying to bash anybody however, coach Phil Longo is well out of his element in the SEC. Had former coach Hugh Freeze had control of this team we would have seen better offensive numbers in the last two games. Especially against Bama. However, sadly we are only grading out the game Saturday night.
Three points in 6 quarters is unacceptable. The one thing which helped save face for Longo is a position assistant and his player. Jordan Wilkins had a 102 yard effort on 12 carries and he is coached by Derrick Nix. However, it wasn’t enough to save Longo from a failing grade.
Offensive Coordinator Grade, F
On defense, 631 yards is terrible, even pitiful. Like I said before, I don’t care if it is No.1 Alabama. Coach Wesley McGriff has always been a tough as nails as a coach. However, it seems as he may be as lost on the defensive side of the ball as Longo is on offense. Of course, McGriff is another coach which may indeed be out of his element as a coordinator. Grading out the defense was bad enough. You can’t expect the DC to grade out any better.
Defensive Cooordinator Grade, F
Special teams were actually the one bright spot in the entire game. Of course, Bradley Dale Peveto has coached special teams at various other places and done very well in that aspect of the game. The one mar on Peveto’s resume from Saturday night is he is also the LB coach. Of course, giving up 66 points on defense hurts his grade, however special teams saved him from a failing grade big time.
Could OM special teams be better? Of course they could, however special teams played a solid game against the No.1 team in the nation. Of course, when it comes to position coaches, coach Bradley Dale Peveto and coach Derrick Nix should be the only coaches with any thing to really brag about.
Special Teams Coach Grade, B-
OK, there’s your grades for the Bama game. So, we have serious issue within our football program and especially when it comes to the top-3 coaches on the team. Ole Miss football needs to step up and do it quickly. Ole Miss travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium down on the plains to take on a very scrappy Auburn Tigers team this Saturday. Of course, let’s all hope it isn’t as ugly as this past week. Hotty Toddy.
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