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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Practice Report: Week 6
10/2/2019 | Football
<i class="icon-video"></i> Jack Bicknell Interview<i class="icon-video"></i> Tyrone Nix Interview<i class="icon-video"></i> Royce Newman Interview
Jack Bicknell, Tyrone Nix and Royce Newman Meet with Media
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss football returns home this weekend to host Vanderbilt for homecoming weekend at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, outside linebackers coach Tyrone Nix and offensive lineman Royce Newman met with the media Tuesday to detail the team's progress as they near the halfway point of the 2019 regular season.
O-LINE IMPROVEMENTS
The offensive line had one of its strongest games of the season at Alabama, allowing just one sack all afternoon against a talented Crimson Tide defense. Junior offensive lineman Royce Newman attributed that to consistent improvement and increased confidence among the Rebel blockers.
"Every week in practice and every game, our O-line is getting more confident," Newman said. "We're working harder, hounding down on our technique and making sure everything is in check. I think it's really preparing us for the games. A lot less missed assignments."
The Rebels have also benefited from the emergence of a couple of young players. This past weekend, Jalen Cunningham had his biggest workload in the rotation, playing 50 snaps on the offensive front—playing time that was well-earned according to offensive line coach Jack Bicknell.
"We've been trying to get Jalen Cunningham to come along," Bicknell said. "He's been taking steps, he really has. It's such a process to be a starting lineman in the SEC. You've got to do it out in practice. The things you do out there on Tuesday show up again in the game on Saturday. When it finally unlocks for him, it's going to be something special."
Meanwhile, Nick Broeker wasted little time in his true freshman season to turn heads at tackle. Broeker played 58 snaps last week—the fourth-most on the offensive front behind Newman (91), Ben Brown (91) and Alex Givens (78). Bicknell praised Broeker's work ethic when speaking with the media and is excited to see his young lineman rise to the occasion.
"Nick has been doing a great job. I'm so proud of Nick," Bicknell said. "The moment has not been too big for him at all. He's out there against Alabama like he's playing a high school game. I've been real proud of him. He's got some technique things he has to work on, and he'll make some mistakes, but the nice thing about Nick is, when you tell him once, then he fixes it. He's going to continue to improve, and I think he's going to be a great player for us for a lot of years.
DORE STOPPERS
On the other side of the football, Ole Miss will be tasked with stopping a talented Vanderbilt offense this weekend. Outside linebackers coach Tyrone Nix saw plenty of talent as he examined the Commodores on film and knows that the Rebel defense must play well to earn an SEC win this weekend.
"They're a team that's much like us, competing for another win in this conference. They've been a little inconsistent and so have we," Nix said. "They're a team that has a lot of explosive players, starting with their running back. They have a quarterback that has transferred who has a strong arm and can make all the throws. And they have good receivers. They're a really balanced offense, and the can pose a problem if we don't play well."
In particular, the Rebel defense will zero in on Vanderbilt running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Vaughn is just shy of 400 yards on the ground this season, netting 398 through four games in addition to four touchdowns. He'll be target No. 1 for Nix's group on Saturday.
"He's a guy who can run behind his pads. He has a good O-line. He's a guy who can make one cut and go the distance," Nix said of Vaughn. "When you watch the LSU game, he ripped off a couple of big runs right away and set the tone for their offense. Even though they didn't win the game, they did some things on the offensive side of the ball that gets your attention right away."
Offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, outside linebackers coach Tyrone Nix and offensive lineman Royce Newman met with the media Tuesday to detail the team's progress as they near the halfway point of the 2019 regular season.
O-LINE IMPROVEMENTS
The offensive line had one of its strongest games of the season at Alabama, allowing just one sack all afternoon against a talented Crimson Tide defense. Junior offensive lineman Royce Newman attributed that to consistent improvement and increased confidence among the Rebel blockers.
"Every week in practice and every game, our O-line is getting more confident," Newman said. "We're working harder, hounding down on our technique and making sure everything is in check. I think it's really preparing us for the games. A lot less missed assignments."
The Rebels have also benefited from the emergence of a couple of young players. This past weekend, Jalen Cunningham had his biggest workload in the rotation, playing 50 snaps on the offensive front—playing time that was well-earned according to offensive line coach Jack Bicknell.
"We've been trying to get Jalen Cunningham to come along," Bicknell said. "He's been taking steps, he really has. It's such a process to be a starting lineman in the SEC. You've got to do it out in practice. The things you do out there on Tuesday show up again in the game on Saturday. When it finally unlocks for him, it's going to be something special."
Meanwhile, Nick Broeker wasted little time in his true freshman season to turn heads at tackle. Broeker played 58 snaps last week—the fourth-most on the offensive front behind Newman (91), Ben Brown (91) and Alex Givens (78). Bicknell praised Broeker's work ethic when speaking with the media and is excited to see his young lineman rise to the occasion.
"Nick has been doing a great job. I'm so proud of Nick," Bicknell said. "The moment has not been too big for him at all. He's out there against Alabama like he's playing a high school game. I've been real proud of him. He's got some technique things he has to work on, and he'll make some mistakes, but the nice thing about Nick is, when you tell him once, then he fixes it. He's going to continue to improve, and I think he's going to be a great player for us for a lot of years.
DORE STOPPERS
On the other side of the football, Ole Miss will be tasked with stopping a talented Vanderbilt offense this weekend. Outside linebackers coach Tyrone Nix saw plenty of talent as he examined the Commodores on film and knows that the Rebel defense must play well to earn an SEC win this weekend.
"They're a team that's much like us, competing for another win in this conference. They've been a little inconsistent and so have we," Nix said. "They're a team that has a lot of explosive players, starting with their running back. They have a quarterback that has transferred who has a strong arm and can make all the throws. And they have good receivers. They're a really balanced offense, and the can pose a problem if we don't play well."
In particular, the Rebel defense will zero in on Vanderbilt running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Vaughn is just shy of 400 yards on the ground this season, netting 398 through four games in addition to four touchdowns. He'll be target No. 1 for Nix's group on Saturday.
"He's a guy who can run behind his pads. He has a good O-line. He's a guy who can make one cut and go the distance," Nix said of Vaughn. "When you watch the LSU game, he ripped off a couple of big runs right away and set the tone for their offense. Even though they didn't win the game, they did some things on the offensive side of the ball that gets your attention right away."
Players Mentioned
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