Did our weekly Q&A ahead of #25 Ole Miss at Texas with Travis Dexter of @RebelSportsTalk, who gave some candid answers headed into the contest.
Whisenant: Give us your thoughts on Hugh Freeze and what he’s meant to the Ole Miss program?
Dexter: First off, I am a huge fan of Hugh Freeze not only as a coach but as a person as well. He is a very Christian orientated coach that really genuinely cares about his players and their families. He inherited a football team that had no character and many players with lots of academic trouble. The way he has brought back hope and excitement in just one year has meant so much to the Ole Miss program.
Whisenant: How was Freeze and his staff able to secure such an excellent recruiting class so quickly?
Dexter: The recruiting class of 2013 was obviously huge for Ole Miss. He did get a lot of help with Denzel Nkemdiche being Robert Nkemdiche’s (the nations consensuses #1 overall recruit last year) older brother, and Anthony Standifer being Laquon Treadwell’s best friend in high school. However, He still had to win them over and that all starts with building relationships. Almost every recruit you ask says that Ole Miss has a feeling of a Family atmosphere and that they have great relationships with the coaching staff.
Whisenant: Â The Egg Bowl is always entertaining, but has the balance of power shifted to Oxford from Starkville?
Dexter: Oh yes for sure. State has never really ever had any power over Ole Miss for a long period of time. They beat us two years in a row when we had really bad football team, but now things have changed and we definitely own the state of Mississippi.
Whisenant: Give us your honest thoughts on Nick Saban and Alabama.
Dexter: Â Nick Saban is a great coach obviously, and Alabama has a great program obviously. They do everything right ,even the little things they try and be perfect at everything they do. However, they are humans just like every other player in the country. They are not always perfect and ,although seldom, they do make mistakes. They are beatable.
Whisenant: Who are the Ole Miss players Longhorn fans need to know about headed into the game?
Dexter: Â This one is tough to narrow down because I would love to mention half the team. If I had to narrow it down to 4 players I would say Evan Engram, Jeff Scott, Cody Prewitt, and Tony Conner. Engram is true freshman tight end that wasn’t a huge name on signing day but has proved to be a great pass catching TE for us. Jeff Scott ,as you seen versus Vandy, has game changing speed and a potential home run threat every time he touches the ball. Tony Conner is another true freshman that will start the “Huskie” position for us and likely line up 1 on 1 with Jaxon Shipley all night in the slot. Cody Prewitt is a junior safety that will lay a lick and seems to have a knack for getting turnovers.
Whisenant: Â Texas is a program in trouble right now, but one Rebel fans still seem to respect. How big would it be to get a win in Austin, knowing the issues here now?
Dexter: I think anytime you beat a historic program such as Texas it is huge. A win in Texas also helps us keep building momentum for the rest of the season, and not to mention get a little revenge from last year. The biggest thing I believe is that it helps recruiting in Texas tremendously. We seem to recruit a lot in Texas and a win in the prospects home state would be huge.
Whisenant: Give us your thoughts on Texas Head Coach Mack Brown.
Dexter: I think Mack Brown is a phenomenal coach. Anytime someone wins a National Championship and Coach of the Year then they obviously must be doing something right. However, just like in the case of Gene Chizik at Auburn, if you ever loose control of your team then it is almost impossible to get their respect back. Mack Brown has had a great run at Texas ,but I feel like he has lost control of this team.
Whisenant: Which players on the Longhorns roster concern you headed into the game?
Dexter: Â If David Ash is healthy and able to play I would have to say Ash for sure. He tortured our defense last year and made us look silly. Also, Mike Davis is a great WR that is pretty physical. We are very thin at corner and could have some trouble with Davis.
Whisenant: Â Where do you think the Rebels can do the most damage vs the Texas Offense and Defense?
Dexter: Â I think this question is pretty obvious for Texas defense. The read option versus Texas defense is where I think we can do the most damage. Bo Wallace has done a great job lately of making the right read and we have 3 very solid RB’s that could give Texas problems all over again with the read option. When Texas is on Offense I think we have a very solid front 7 that could make Texas have a hard time getting any Run game going. If Texas comes out a winner of the game it will be because they passed all over us.
Whisenant: Â Of David Ash, Case McCoy, and Tyrone Swoopes, which QB would you most want to face Saturday night? Why?
Dexter: From a standpoint of winning, I would rather face Case McCoy Saturday night. He isn’t a very mobile QB and we seem to really struggle with QB’s that can run. However, I hope David Ash plays so that there will be no excuses from Longhorn fans.
Whisenant: Thanks for the answers, give us a score prediction.
Dexter: If Ash plays I predict Ole Miss 35-31, If Ash does not play Ole Miss 35-21
#25th ranked Ole Miss (2-0) faces Texas (1-0) at DKR Saturday night. Kick off is scheduled for 7pm
