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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Midweek Report: Texas A&M Week
11/7/2018 | Football
Rebels Travel to College Station for SEC Road Contest vs. Aggies
OXFORD, Miss – Behind a veteran offensive line, Ole Miss has achieved balance offensively in 2018, and the Rebels will need to be strong on the ground and through the air as they travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M this weekend.
The Rebels boast one of the top running backs in the Southeastern Conference in Scottie Phillips. Phillips leads the league with 12 rushing touchdowns on the season after a three-score performance last week against South Carolina. This week against the 5-4 Aggies, he and the linemen in front of him will have their hands full.
"A&M has been pretty good. Their record doesn't show how they play on defense," said junior offensive tackle Greg Little. "They've been shutting teams out against the run all year. Our goal is to come in there and run the ball. We have a goal to get our running back 1,000 yards, and we can try to do that next game."
Phillips enters the Rebels' 10th game of the season with 923 yards on the ground, averaging 102.6 yards per contest. This week, he'll be running straight into the No. 2 rushing defense in the country.
"They play good, hard-nosed football," Little said. "Alabama is pretty strong, so you have to come out and lock out and hold your gaps. These guys do that, plus the penetrate and move, so they're very versatile. They have a lot of guys who play, all of them are pretty heavy. They wear teams out over the game."
Texas A&M has allowed just 733 total rushing yards and 81.4 yards per game on the ground. The Aggies have only allowed four teams to eclipse the 100-yard mark on the ground, and they haven't allowed an individual player to hit 100 yards all year.
"They have good players. That's the first thing that really stands out," said head coach Matt Luke. "They're big and fast. They also have a good scheme. They always add an extra hat in the box through different ways. They do a very nice job with that. They have some length at corner, so they can play some man and some single-high coverage."
Against that vaunted Texas A&M rush defense, Little and Co. will have to be at their best both physically and mentally.
"We have to be on our game, thinking more than usual," Little said. "We want to come in there and be physical with them and hopefully put some yards on the ground against them and get the offense going. We have a pretty good group of veteran O-Lineman, so the task isn't too hard for us."
While Texas A&M presents perhaps the best defensive front in college football, Ole Miss will counter with one of the nation's best offensive lines. Across the board, the Rebels have graded out as one of the top blocking units in the game.
The veteran group features two juniors and two seniors among the starting five, as well as another senior, Jordan Sims, who rotates in at several spots along the line. Meanwhile, the youngest member of the rotation, Ben Brown, has emerged as one of its best. The redshirt freshman right guard earned a starting spot ahead of Sims in the offseason, and he has responded by not allowing a sack or a QB hit in 315 pass blocking situations.
Whether paving the way for Phillips and Co. on the ground, or protecting Jordan Ta'amu as he distributes the ball to one of the Rebels' many weapons on the outside, the Rebel line will need to bring it. As Luke has stressed all week, balance and offensive tempo will be key to escaping Kyle Field with a 6-4 record.
"It's huge. When you play against very good defenses, if you get one-dimensional, they can take that way pretty quickly," Luke said. "If they don't know what you're doing and you can be balanced, you can keep them a little off balance. If you're pass blocking all day, it starts to get tougher. You've got to mix things up with the run and pass and dictate the tempo, not them."
The clash between two of the best opposing fronts in college football will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on CBS.
The Rebels boast one of the top running backs in the Southeastern Conference in Scottie Phillips. Phillips leads the league with 12 rushing touchdowns on the season after a three-score performance last week against South Carolina. This week against the 5-4 Aggies, he and the linemen in front of him will have their hands full.
"A&M has been pretty good. Their record doesn't show how they play on defense," said junior offensive tackle Greg Little. "They've been shutting teams out against the run all year. Our goal is to come in there and run the ball. We have a goal to get our running back 1,000 yards, and we can try to do that next game."
Phillips enters the Rebels' 10th game of the season with 923 yards on the ground, averaging 102.6 yards per contest. This week, he'll be running straight into the No. 2 rushing defense in the country.
"They play good, hard-nosed football," Little said. "Alabama is pretty strong, so you have to come out and lock out and hold your gaps. These guys do that, plus the penetrate and move, so they're very versatile. They have a lot of guys who play, all of them are pretty heavy. They wear teams out over the game."
Texas A&M has allowed just 733 total rushing yards and 81.4 yards per game on the ground. The Aggies have only allowed four teams to eclipse the 100-yard mark on the ground, and they haven't allowed an individual player to hit 100 yards all year.
"They have good players. That's the first thing that really stands out," said head coach Matt Luke. "They're big and fast. They also have a good scheme. They always add an extra hat in the box through different ways. They do a very nice job with that. They have some length at corner, so they can play some man and some single-high coverage."
Against that vaunted Texas A&M rush defense, Little and Co. will have to be at their best both physically and mentally.
"We have to be on our game, thinking more than usual," Little said. "We want to come in there and be physical with them and hopefully put some yards on the ground against them and get the offense going. We have a pretty good group of veteran O-Lineman, so the task isn't too hard for us."
While Texas A&M presents perhaps the best defensive front in college football, Ole Miss will counter with one of the nation's best offensive lines. Across the board, the Rebels have graded out as one of the top blocking units in the game.
The veteran group features two juniors and two seniors among the starting five, as well as another senior, Jordan Sims, who rotates in at several spots along the line. Meanwhile, the youngest member of the rotation, Ben Brown, has emerged as one of its best. The redshirt freshman right guard earned a starting spot ahead of Sims in the offseason, and he has responded by not allowing a sack or a QB hit in 315 pass blocking situations.
Whether paving the way for Phillips and Co. on the ground, or protecting Jordan Ta'amu as he distributes the ball to one of the Rebels' many weapons on the outside, the Rebel line will need to bring it. As Luke has stressed all week, balance and offensive tempo will be key to escaping Kyle Field with a 6-4 record.
"It's huge. When you play against very good defenses, if you get one-dimensional, they can take that way pretty quickly," Luke said. "If they don't know what you're doing and you can be balanced, you can keep them a little off balance. If you're pass blocking all day, it starts to get tougher. You've got to mix things up with the run and pass and dictate the tempo, not them."
The clash between two of the best opposing fronts in college football will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on CBS.
Players Mentioned
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RB
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OL
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QB
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Tuesday, April 14
PRESSER | Luke Hasz (04-14-26)
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PRESSER | Jamarious Brown (04-14-26)
Tuesday, April 14
PRESSER | Deuce Alexander (04-10-26)
Friday, April 10