Week-one of the 2018 Ole Miss football season was kicked Monday off with head coach Matt Luke’s weekly press conference and he talked about the Rebels.
It’s easy to see Ole Miss football is now just days away from kicking off the 2018 season. The preseason has been long for coaches, players and especially for the fans. We’ve endured thru fall camp and tried to fill the empty void with as much information about the 2018 Rebels as we could find. Naturally we have waited, watched and listened for everything Ole Miss football.
Now with social media and the internet we can get a lot of info from the team during the preseason. Coach Matt Luke had been somewhat secretive early in fall camp but recently there have been a lot of updates as we get closer to the season opener. Of course, Monday Matt Luke announced the starters for the Texas Tech game and Rebels fans saw a few surprises.
Monday Matt Luke announced the Rebels starters and back ups in his first game-week press conference of the 2018 Ole Miss football season and it was easy to see his excitement. Luke is fired up and ready to get the 2018 edition of the Ole Miss Rebels on the field. Luke addressed a number of things such as injuries, the defense and of course Texas Tech.
What Luke Said
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Luke updated us on the status of a few players which had been dealing with some minor injuries. About the health of the NWO who has seen a few receivers sidelined in camp, Luke stated, “AJ Brown practiced yesterday, so did Sanders and DaMarkus and all looked good.” Of course, this is very good news for apparent reasons with Brown and Lodge but also Braylon Sanders is expected to play a huge role in the offense this season.
When it came to the defensive injury list Luke addressed a couple of the players who are both listed as probable for the Texas Tech game. Both senior corner-back Ken Webster and defensive tackle Sincere David have been sidelined in practice. Webster has been down with hamstring issues while David has been deal with a MCL sprain. According to Luke he feels David is good for about 20 snaps in Saturdays season opener.
Luke Discusses Defense
Naturally we are excited to hear this team is healthy and obviously ready to play. Of course, most fans are just a little concerned about the Rebels defense this season and we having been hoping for better results in 2018. Monday Matt Luke addressed the defense in detail and noted the leaders on the defensive side of the ball. Luke believes in this defense’s toughness and ability and spoke about the linebackers which is an area of concern for Rebels fans.
"“I think that what happens is you’re looking for energy and toughness in guys that will fly around and hit you. That’s what Momo and Ruggs have given us.” ~Coach Matt Luke"
Of course, Luke is talking about junior middle-linebacker Mohamed Sanogo and freshman outside linebacker Kevontae’ Ruggs who will be making the start Saturday against the Red Raiders. Luke went on to talk about his young linebackers.
"“That’s what you need from a linebacker, that flying around looking for a big-time play. Both those guys are athletic enough to play in space. This game is going to be a space game and I think that’s important.” ~Coach Matt Luke"
Luke On Defensive Leaders
How well these two Rebels do against the Texas Tech run game also will depend on strong defensive line play from senior Benito Jones and junior Josiah Coatney at defensive tackle. Coatney along with senior strong safety CJ Moore and junior free safety Zedrick Woods are said by Luke to be the defensive leaders in the huddle for the Rebels.
"“I think Josiah has become that on the D-line. I feel really comfortable with Moore and Woods. They’re kind of the QB’s of the defense. They’re both older guys who have been there so those three” ~Coach Matt Luke"
Coach Luke also talked about freshman linebacker Jacquez Jones and the development he has made during the fall camp. Luke says Jones has progressed enough Rebels fans will see him play and can see his natural linebacker ability. You can tell Luke has been very pleased with what he has seen from the freshman.
"“We’re excited about what he has done. He has good football instincts, not just on pass or run. He understands the fits in the run game and the drops in the pass game. For a freshman, I have been very impressed with his football IQ.” ~Coach Matt Luke"
The Rebels defense will be fired up when they take the field in front of a largely Red Raiders crowd. If the Landshark defense shows up it will help against an Air Raid offense which can spread the field and pick defenses apart. The Texas Tech offense will be a huge test for this young defense.
Luke Talks Texas Tech
One thing is obviously clear when it comes to Texas Tech. Coach Matt Luke has a lot of respect for Tech and head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Luke also believes the season opener against the Red Raiders will be a tough test for the Rebels on both sides of the ball. According to OleMissSports.com, in Luke’s opening statement at the Monday presser Luke immediately talked about the Texas Tech defense. “They have 10 starters coming back on defense, a defense that led the Big 12 in turnovers. They’re really physical inside with Brooks and Allen and have two physical safeties,” stated Luke.
The Texas Tech defense is very good on all three levels and have a number of players who have been named to the Preseason All-Big12 Team. Luke is right when he says this will be a good test for the Rebels on the offensive side of the ball. The question on Rebels fans minds is whether or not the Red Raiders are talented and experienced enough to contain the Rebels many offensive weapons which include All-American wide receiver AJ Brown.
Luke Talks Both Offenses
We also wonder the same about our defense when they face the Texas Tech Air Raid offense. Of course, Kliff Kingsbury played QB for Mike Leach when the Red Raiders had one of the very top offenses in the nation. Luke stated, “Their offense is always good, they’re an offense that spreads the field, gets their playmakers in space. They have a really good receiver in Vasher who is 6-foot-6. He can stretch the field and make plays.” This will provide the Ole Miss secondary will a some interesting matchups against the Red Raider WRs.
Matt Luke didn’t really go into great deal about the Rebels offensive plan. However he did talk about Scottie Phillips seeing the bulk of the snaps and especially in the first three or four offensive series. How much will Ole Miss try to dedicate its game plan to the run but it is obvious Luke intends to run Phillips until he gets tired. Our best guess right now is the Rebels will try to establish the run early and mix it up with the pass game. Regardless of what Luke and Longo decide to do the Rebels have to focus on ball security. The Texas Tech defense had 29 takeaways in 2017.
So far the news from Matt Luke has been positive. Hopefully next weeks presser will be the same after a big season opener win. The Rebels will kickoff their season opener against the Texas Tech Red Raiders this Saturday September 1 in Houston, Texas. We wish coach Matt Luke and the Rebels good luck! Hotty Toddy!