The Ole Miss offense limped to the finish of the regular season, scoring 20 points in the Rebels’ final two games.
That’s not the offense that Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof is preparing to see Dec. 30 in the Music City Bowl in Nashville.
“I think they’re very, very talented,” Roof said Wednesday. “They go fast and run the ball. They try and catch you making mistakes by not getting lined up or missed fits.”
Ole Miss employs a high-tempo spread offense that averaged the most plays per game, 77.8, in the SEC. By comparison, Tech ran 70.8 plays per game despite holding the ball 33:50 per game to Ole Miss’ 29:29. Tech has seen similar schemes this season. North Carolina and Clemson also run fast-paced spread offenses.
The most dangerous player might be running back Jeff Scott, who averages 7.4 yards per carry. The Rebels start three wide receivers, all of whom average at least 3.7 receptions per game. Laquon Treadwell (5.6 catches per game) was rated the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the 2013 signing class, part of Ole Miss’ top-10 recruiting class.
The spread and the team speed “forces you to make one-on-one tackles because they force you to defend the entire width of the field,” Roof said.
With more preparation time than for a regular-season opponent, Roof is taking longer to teach the game plan than usual. Roof said he might work on the nickel blitzes one practice, third downs another day and short-yardage situations on a third day.
“I like to do it in bits and pieces so there’s something there for them mentally every day, so it’s not the same-old, same-old every day,” he said.
All-star games: Safety Jemea Thomas recently received an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game Jan. 18 in St. Petersburg, Fla. It is a pre-draft all-star game whose main purpose is to provide a showcase for NFL scouts.
Defensive end Emmanuel Dieke, A-back Robert Godhigh and offensive lineman Will Jackson have accepted invitations to the College All-Star Bowl, which will be played Feb. 14 in Greenville, S.C. Center Jay Finch and B-back David Sims have also been invited to participate.
Defensive tackle Euclid Cummings has committed to playing in the Medal of Honor Bowl, a first-year all-star game being held in Charleston, S.C., Jan. 11. The head coaches in that game are former Tech coach Chan Gailey and former Tech offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen.
In November, defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
Local publicity: Tech will hold its one practice in Nashville at Father Ryan High School. Tech coach Paul Johnson sees the team's stay in Nashville as a positive for recruiting.
“We recruit the private school league there, or try to,” Johnson said. “So anytime you can gain exposure in a market, it’s good.”
Tech has two Tennessee players on the roster, offensive linemen Shaquille Mason (Columbia) and Will Jackson (Knoxville).
Injury report: Offensive tackles Chase Roberts (concussion) and Morgan Bailey (undisclosed) are out for the bowl game. Middle linebacker Daniel Drummond (lower leg) is "questionable to probable," Johnson said.
Johnson said he will talk after the bowl game with Bailey, who has been effective when healthy but able to play only 15 out of a possible 39 games because of injury, about whether he’ll return next season. Bailey is scheduled to graduate in the spring. It is not uncommon for players to forego their final year of eligibility if they have graduated but do not expect much playing time.
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