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Here is reason No. 1 that Ole Miss will be improved in 2011
Put this in the category of intangibles. Can you really imagine a worse performance than the Rebels showed in a 52-14 loss against an average Tennessee team? Or in losing a 31-10 third-quarter lead against I-AA Jacksonville State?
All games weren't that bad for Ole Miss, but even in the SEC games the Rebels played close they gave up the “explosion plays” they talk about. Losses to Vanderbilt, Alabama and Arkansas each included a touchdown play of at least 70 yards by the opponent.
I hesitate to use this as a reason. It's not my personality to think things can't be worse. It is hard to imagine, though.
Those three losses above were all two-touchdown losses. It's not a stretch to believe one would have been an Ole Miss win without the long touchdown allowed.
There will be great emphasis on reducing – hopefully eliminating – those big plays allowed by other teams.
Talking about it alone won't get it done, of course. The map to defensive improvement will include, among other things, press coverage and more physical play in the secondary. There's more secondary speed to work with too, albeit inexperienced.
The other teams in the West aren't standing still. They're trying to get better too.
But at least one reason for improvement for Ole Miss is that 2010 was such a struggle.
Still seemed more of a breakdown in mental attitude last year to me though. The tools were there, it just seemed that the first game shock killed their for lack of a better word - swagger.
In the Vanderbilt and Arkansas games last year, games Ole Miss could have won with better ball-protection and fewer big plays allowed on defense, Brandon Bolden was a non-factor, 46 yards against Vanderbilt, nine against Arkansas.
I think that had to do with OL issues at the time as much as anything else. OL was better later and so was Bolden.
The OL and Bolden both need to elevate a notch this year. Ole Miss will rely heavily on its run game.
I think the press coverage will be a big deal. There's more speed, but right now they have to teach the fast guys where to run.
They'll lose some of those 1-on-1 battles, but they'll win some too. Bottom line is, they're not going to play an elite QB every week, and an average QB won't necessarily attempt the throw every time that a DB is close to the receiver.
They won't play press coverage every snap either. They'll mix it up.