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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football Practice Report: Hosting the Hogs
10/6/2021 | Football
Rebels Look Ahead at Saturday's Meeting with No. 13 Arkansas (11 a.m. CT, ESPN)
OXFORD, Miss. — With college football's best team to date out of the way, the No. 17 Ole Miss football team continued to prepare Tuesday for another top-tier SEC opponent. Afterwards, Nick Broeker, Braylon Sanders and Lakia Henry met with the media to talk about the challenges ahead with the No. 13 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks coming to town.
Offensively, the running game failed to get going in Tuscaloosa the entire afternoon, finishing with 78 total yards and 2.3 yards per attempt. That in of itself has been a big point of emphasis this week while being more intentional about the little aspects up front.
"A lot of it was just our communication pre-snap," Broeker said. "That's been the main thing for us. That's something we really have to work on, doing a better job of finishing our blocks. It starts in the film room, making sure we're on the same page. When we're at practice, being arrogant about calling everything out, not being silent about it and making sure everyone knows who to combo to and everything like that."
The Rebel offense will be going up against one of the country's best pass defenses, allowing just under 130 passing yards per game. Matt Corral and company saw just how lethal their defensive scheme was last year and how well they can take the ball away, to the tune of six Corral interceptions. Since that day, lessons have been learned according to Sanders.
"Just take what they give us," Sanders said. "Don't always try to make the big play. When the stops are there, just hit the stops. The run game will be there, so we'll do what it takes to be 1-0 this week."
The sudden loss of Jonathan Mingo late last week due to injury has left a hole out wide for guys like Jadon Jackson and Dannis Jackson to fill. Being a veteran in the position room, Sanders has done his part to help his fellow receivers to step up and provide quality depth, especially during a brutally tough SEC stretch.
"As a leader, you just try to teach them the ropes and the ins and outs of everything, helping them get in the playbook more, helping them on and off the field," Sanders said. "This week will be big for us and those young guys to come along."
Defensively, Henry and the rest of the Rebel defense are tasked with containing a big-bodied, dual-threat quarterback in KJ Jefferson along with Arkansas's run game as a whole. One thing that stood out among players when scouting the Razorbacks is just how hard they play. It's up Ole Miss to match their physicality and intensity, particularly with a force like Jefferson.
"They're going to come in and try to run the football," Henry said. "We really have to stop the run. They have a really good quarterback so we have to stop him in the run and in the pass. It's going to be a great game, honestly… we have to be physical, trust our coaches, trust our scheme. It's not a magic potion."
Kickoff for Saturday's SEC matchup with Arkansas is set for 11 a.m. CT at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN and can be listened to on the Ole Miss Radio Network.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at OleMissSports on Twitter and Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram. To purchase 2021 Ole Miss football season tickets, visit OleMissTix.com.
