Imagine saying to yourself, six years ago – when Hugh Freeze was beating Nick Saban – that an Ole Miss game against Liberty University was going to be an emotional and fascinating nonconference game in early November.
By Matt Zemek
Imagine recalling Freeze’s ability to frustrate Saban – and his ability to lift Ole Miss to a New Year’s Six bowl bid on separate occasions – and matching those realities against this Saturday’s game between the Rebels and Flames.
Hugh Freeze could have been Ole Miss’s head coach in each of the past several years, but he just couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t disciplined or focused enough on the job of running an elite Power Five college football program. Freeze the gameday head coach is a marvel, someone who knew how to attack Alabama’s defense and who, on a broader level, had the right approach to Nick Saban. Yet, when it came to the boring but necessary and detail-oriented work of shepherding a program off the field, Freeze essentially said no thanks. He did not tend to all the details of his job. He and Ole Miss were buried. Freeze left Ole Miss in disgrace, rightly shamed for his misdeeds.
Now, though, Freeze comes back to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as a visiting coach. Liberty had a brilliant season in 2020, elevating Freese’s national profile. However, this season has witnessed several stumbles from the Flames. Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin are waiting. Let’s look at this game from the Rebels’ perspective.
1 – Luke Altmyer
Ole Miss’s backup quarterback has been a frequent discussion topic in recent weeks due to the injuries suffered by starter Matt Corral. This game against Liberty is meant to be a step away from the cutthroat world of the SEC, giving players a breather. No one needs that breather more than Corral. This is a time for Ole Miss and Kiffin to learn more about their backup quarterback. Ole Miss needs to see what it has in the person of Altmyer. If this program is as robust and healthy as many people think it is – now that Lane Kiffin is in charge and Freeze is no longer running the show in Oxford – Ole Miss will handle Liberty while resting Corral for the big Nov. 13 game against Texas A&M. The Rebels need to rest Corral and find a way to win here. Corral doesn’t need to take any more hits.
2 – Outplay Liberty’s offensive line
Liberty quarterback Malik Willis hasn’t been nearly as dynamic or effective as he was last year. Liberty doesn’t have an 11-player group which is as connected on offense as it was last season. If opponents can bully the Liberty offensive line, they can make life difficult for Willis and limit the Flames’ offensive production.
3 – Offensive patience
The Ole Miss offense isn’t always able to hit deep downfield shots, but against Auburn, the Rebels continued to struggle on fourth down. It is tempting to want to get everything at once, but Ole Miss needs to be disciplined in its approach. If opponents take away deep passes, the Rebels need to be willing to take a five-yard checkdown and slowly move the chains. Teams don’t get more points because they scored early in a game. Ole Miss needs to practice patience if it wants its offense to return to the September standard it established.
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