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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Open Spring Football Drills With Spirited Two-Hour Practice
3/4/2006 | Football
March 4, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - Working in helmets and shorts, Ole Miss kicked off 2006 spring football drills here Saturday as Coach Ed Orgeron sent his Rebels through two hours of spirited work.
"It was a very positive practice for the first day," Orgeron said. "I thought the guys looked sharp and were ready to go. There was a lot of excitement and a lot of energy. The organization went well today. I thought the effort was fantastic."
On the offensive side, Orgeron noted that he was really pleased with the direction of new offensive coordinator Dan Werner.
"There was a noticeable difference with him (Werner) running the offense," Orgeron said. "Dan is very demanding when it comes to details, demanding effort and perfection. I really liked that out there."
A major emphasis this spring is in the offensive line and Orgeron brought in Art Kehoe to shore up that need. "Coach Kehoe was good to have out there and I thought the staff really worked hard," Orgeron said. "I saw a difference in our line, which was more aggressive. There were some double-team blocks that knocked us off the ball a couple of times."
Several offensive linemen caught Orgeron's eye, including junior college transfer Corey Actis, sophomore Maurice Miller and sophomore David Traxler.
"At wide receiver, freshman Marshay Green made some big plays, showing he has some big play capability," Orgeron said. "Tight ends Robert Lane and Lawrence Lilly caught a couple of big balls. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Mico McSwain give us two guys at tailback, but we're going to spread Mico out there a little bit and get him the ball."
After losing the entire front four from last season, rebuilding the defensive line is getting plenty of attention. "I thought Brandon Jenkins, Peria Jerry, Hayward Howard and Chris Bowers all had a good day," Orgeron said. "When it comes to special teams, we have a ways to go."
Another area which was pleasing to Orgeron was the overall conditioning of his team.
"Yes, I think we're better," he responded when asked to compare last spring to this spring. "You can tell from the off-season work that we are stronger. We have to give some credit to (strength coach) Aaron Ausmus and his staff. They did a fantastic job.
"We are bigger and stronger on the line of scrimmage. I can just see it. We're not getting pushed back a lot in the offensive line. Also, I saw our guys were able to handle the practice today (Saturday). I didn't see anybody getting tired. It was good."
When asked about the retention of the defense, Orgeron pointed out the fact that the Rebels do have some new linebackers.
"The linebackers require a lot of adjustments and we missed a couple of adjustments during our first practice, but I think once we get Patrick (Willis) in there we're better." Willis, who earned first team All-America honors in 2005, is having to sit out spring drills after having surgery to his right foot.
Orgeron noted the performance of sophomore Quentin Taylor for making some big plays and sophomore Antonio Turner, who has moved from running back to linebacker this spring.
"I thought Quentin had a pretty good day," Orgeron said. "It was new for Antonio, so he was a little rusty out there, but I think we're going to get into the swing of it."
Another area pleasing to Orgeron on opening day was the secondary, which he called "solid," while mentioning senior strong safety Bryan Brown, who is filling in for sophomore starter Jamarca Sanford, currently out after surgery. Another player catching the eye of the head coach was sophomroe flanker Burnell Wallace.
Practice in helmets and shorts will continue on Monday, while Wednesday and Friday's practices will be in shells. The first day in full pads will be next Saturday.
