|
Ole Miss Defense Shows Energy In Third Practice
OXFORD, Miss. – The
third practice of Ole Miss preseason football camp saw the Rebels work
for two hours in shells on a cloudy Sunday morning.
One
step closer to strapping on the pads, which is planned for Tuesday, the
team was energetic on defense and got a lift from the freshman
tailbacks, according to head coach Hugh Freeze.
“They’re
doing so much stuff defensively and brought great energy today on that
side,” he said. “There are a lot of moving parts, and we are struggling
to pick it up right now.
“I continue to be impressed with some of our young running backs. They’ve got a little something to them.”
The
quarterback battle has picked up where it left off in the spring with
Barry Brunetti and Bo Wallace in a dead heat. Freeze said the retention
from the spring has been good but consistency is an issue.
“With
decision-making and taking care of the ball, we go in lapses,” said
Freeze. “We’ll have four good plays in a row where they do things that
don’t create negative plays, and then we’ll have two or three that are
disastrous. We still have a ways to go with both of them.”
Among
the receivers, sophomore Vince Sanders is trying to move ahead in the
pack. The Macon, Miss., native hauled in 10 passes for 110 yards in
nine games of action last season.
“I thought he has caught
the ball really well,” Freeze said. “We are going to need him. We are
thin at a lot of places. A year ago, people would have said the
receiving corps was one of our strengths, and while that may be true, I
still don’t like our depth there. I wish we had more bodies. But Vince
has had a good camp thus far.”
Sunday’s practice is part
of a day of activities for the players, including their first
weight-training session since reporting to camp. A team worship
service was available to begin the day.
“We had a great,
great service,” said Freeze. “We will never do anything on Sunday where
that is not an option for our kids and our coaches.”
|
