At Ole Miss, McEachern's Laurent doing his part

By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Someday, Ted Laurent wants to go after bad guys.

Laurent, a Mississippi nose tackle from McEachern High and Powder Springs, is a criminal justice major who has hopes of becoming a Drug Enforcement Administration agent.

"Just taking people down, the biggest drug lords and dealers in the world," Laurent said. "I could see myself doing all that."

For now, Laurent will have to make do with making life miserable for SEC guards and centers. The imposing Laurent has been a vital cog in the Rebels' defense, ranked third in the SEC in points allowed and headed into a test of wills Saturday with Auburn's estimable running game.

"He's very, very strong," Mississippi coach Houston Nutt said. "He holds his gap, plays great technique, gets off of blocks and makes tackles for us."

Laurent's impact is not necessarily evident on the stat sheet, which has credited him with eight tackles, 2.5 of them for loss, and a forced fumble.

Laurent describes his role this way: "I'm doing my job, if I eat two blocks up and somebody comes free."

Laurent's value can be seen in his defense having the second-most sacks in the SEC or holding Arkansas to a season-low 45 rushing yards on Saturday in the Rebels' 30-17 defeat of the Razorbacks.

At 6-foot-1 and 303 pounds, Laurent is "probably the strongest guy on the team, and he plays like that," defensive line coach Terry Price said.

Laurent, an AJC Super 11 choice in 2006 chose Ole Miss because of then-coach Ed Orgeron. Orgeron's calling card, along with being one of the best recruiters in the country, was having tutored NFL star defensive linemen such as Warren Sapp, Cortez Kennedy and Russell Maryland. That was enough for Laurent to hear.

Orgeron was fired after the 2007 season, Laurent's freshman season. Laurent said it was "pretty tough" at first, but he has moved on.

"That's why I came over here," Laurent said of Orgeron. "I believed he'd do the same with me. Even though he's gone, I keep the tools he taught me about playing the position that I still use."

As a sophomore, Laurent started seven games at nose tackle next to eventual Falcons first-round pick Peria Jerry. Laurent is in a tackle rotation this season, getting about 40 to 50 snaps each game, Nutt said.

The Rebels, a preseason pick to challenge for the SEC title, have stumbled and are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC, good for third in the West. Laurent holds out hope that Mississippi can somehow make it to the SEC title game. The Rebels would almost certainly have to run the table, which means beating Auburn on the road. Laurent said Ole Miss has to keep the Tigers, whose running back Ben Tate is second in the SEC in rushing at 115.4 yards per game, under 100 yards on the ground. Laurent knows how he fits into those plans.

"We have to dominate," he said. "They're a good running team, and my job is to stop the run."