Kentucky Football: Red Cup Rebellion (Ole Miss) Q&A

Red Cup Rebellion, SBNation's outstanding Ole Miss blog, graciously asked us to do a Q&A with them about the game on Saturday.You can read my responses here at your leisure.

Last night, RCR also asked me to participate in their weekly podcast, which I gladly did.  A fun time was had by all, and you can listen to that here.  I am about 20 minutes or so into the program.  A sneak peak -- bourbon was a major factor.

Now, here is RCR answering my queries:

Describe the Ole Miss offense this year.  How do you feel about it?  Which offensive player should Kentucky be the most concerned about?

Well, the offense has slowly become what we all wanted it to be schematically when we learned that Jeremiah Masoli had been cleared. At the beginning of the season, we tried running the same conventional offense we ran all of last year with Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster. It didn’t work, because our offensive line was awful… and we didn’t have Dexter McCluster.

Since then, we’ve seen a lot of four-wide sets that spread he field out and open up the read-option looks with which Masoli thrives. Against Fresno, we unleashed an unstoppable (to a WAC defense) nifty triple-option out of the pistol. In this particular look, Brandon Bolden lines up directly behind Masoli. Jeff Scott lines up in the slot and goes in motion. Masoli looks at the end on the side to which the run is oriented then decides whether to keep it or hand it to Bolden. If he keeps it, he’s running an option with Scott. If he hands it to Bolden, the back is nearly guaranteed a hole, since that’s what dictates that he got the ball.

I love the new offense, and if I ran an offense, it’s quite similar to what I would run.

As for the player with whom you should be most concerned, it all starts with Jeremiah Masoli. Bolden ran for over 200 yards last week, but a lot of that was because Fresno tried as hard as they could to maintain Masoli.

Ole Miss is currently #100 nationally in scoring defense.  I don't care what conference you play in, that's no good.  Can you tell me what Ole Miss has been doing wrong, and what they need to do to correct it?

Here’s what we’re doing wrong. We’re being not good in the secondary.

I know that’s simplistic, but let me explain a bit further. Ed Orgeron was at Ole Miss for three seasons. During those three seasons, he signed one (1) cornerback who made it to campus. Yes. It’s that bad. What this resulted in was a few players being forced to move to corner from other positions and players who would normally be given a few years to develop having to play a major role early.

Currently, our top four corners are senior Jeremy McGee (who will miss this game), junior Marcus Temple, redshirt freshman Charles Sawyer, and true freshman Tony Grimes. It’s a pretty dire situation.

At safety, we came into the year starting two seniors with a junior backup to both. That’s not a terrible situation. Of course, since then, both seniors have dealt with injury, and that juco junior has had to play immediately. He has gotten much better in just a short amount of time, but there’s still a problem. Of interest to you, our best safety, Johnny Brown, will also miss this game. Thanks sports gods.

Honestly, the only way to correct it is to get these young guys some experience, and we’re definitely doing that.

I hear Oxford is the archetype of a southern college town.  What makes it that way?  For the Wildcat fans heading that way to see the game, recommend a few things to see and places to go that are convenient and won't take too much time.

Oxford is quaint but not too quaint. It’s safe and full of liquor. I guess that’s what makes it a great college town.

There are several things you should check out. If you’re content with hanging around on campus, the Grove is obviously the place you want to go. It’s a beautiful place filled with beautiful people and great food. If you approach a tent with humility and represent yourself as a Kentucky fan, you will be greeted with chicken and bourbon. Just try to stay away from people who look totally trashed. They’ll probably scream obscenities at you.

After the game, you can hang out in the Grove a little bit more, but I suggest that you go visit the Oxford Square quickly. If you wait too long, it will get too crowded to do much of anything. The square is the hub of Oxford and features incredible food and a bevy of bars. There are places to shop as well, but if you’re anything like us, you can’t afford any of it.

As for restaurants, take your pick. If it’s not good in Oxford, it doesn’t survive. If you can, check out Ajax, City Grocery, or Downtown Grill, but I can’t fathom that you’ll be able to get a seat at any of those places. People have been on the wait list for months.

Ole Miss is dead last in the SEC in turnover margin, and Kentucky is third.  Ole Miss has failed to make an interception in four games.  How much of a worry are turnovers for the Rebels, and why have they had such a hard time getting picks?

Again, our secondary is awful.

It’s a big concern for us, because we’re probably going to turn the ball over some this year as we adjust to this totally new system of offense. It could easily mean the difference in this game. Sorry that I don’t have a longer answer for you. I think I covered it in the "why is the defense bad" segment.

What's your prediction for the game?  What's the final score?  What factors make it work out that way?

I’ll refrain from an actual score, but I think Kentucky pulls this one out by 7-10 points. We just have way too much uncertainty on defense and aren’t showing the killer instinct that helped us so much last year. I think we’ll have trouble containing Chris Matthews and Randall Cobb. I would guess that Derrick Locke won’t break 100 for the first time this season, but he easily could if he rips off one long run.

Our offense should move it on the ground without too much trouble, but I’m just not sure that will be enough to matter. Also, we’re still checking on our offensive line to find the right combination. This one worked well against Fresno, but SEC defenses are a different animal. We could even struggle on the ground. If that happens, we’re absolutely screwed.