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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Defense Dominates Thursday Practice
8/16/2007 | Football
Head coach Ed Orgeron continues to praise the work of new defensive coordinator John Thompson during fall camp.
“We had an excellent practice this morning,” Orgeron said. “John threw a lot of blitzes at our offense. He’s really making his mark as our defensive coordinator. We put a lot more pressure on the quarterback than we had in any other practice. You can just see his defense coming alive out there.”
After a spirited team scrimmage on Wednesday, the Rebels went to work Thursday to correct mistakes noticed during film study, especially in the special teams areas.
“We made some corrections from the scrimmage,” Orgeron said. “We really worked a lot on our kickoff coverage and our PAT protection. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good day.”
Orgeron also updated the competition at linebacker.
“Tony Fein’s been coming along a little bit. I think his conditioning is getting better. He’s made some plays and is making a push there. Chris Strong is an outstanding Mike linebacker. He brings it downhill. There are obviously some things that a new guy has to learn, but those guys are battling there (at Mike linebacker). Jonathan Cornell is practicing sparingly. Ashlee Palmer is coming along. I think he’s earned himself a starting role for right now at the outside linebacker spot.
“We’ll play our best guys out there, but it all starts with the Mike and what he’s able to do within our defense. There are still a lot of options available.”
Orgeron also noted that freshmen Ted Laurent and Johnny Brown have completed their allowable 14 days of practice under provisional clearance and are awaiting word from the NCAA as to their full eligibility.
Ole Miss will host “Meet the Rebels Day” on Saturday at the Indoor Practice Facility on campus. Orgeron and the Ole Miss football coaches will address the crowd at noon, and Rebel football, soccer and volleyball players will be available for autographs and to meet fans from 12:30 until 2:30 p.m.
An intra-squad scrimmage at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will follow at 3:30 p.m. The scrimmage is open to the public.
