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Matt Luke weighs in on Ole Miss’ red zone struggles in SEC play this season
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Finishing drives has been an issue for Ole Miss in conference play.
The Rebels have struggled to convert their high-yardage offense into touchdowns against SEC foes, which has been a source of frustration for coach Matt Luke. He was asked about the issue during the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday, and he responded by saying Ole Miss simply hasn’t made plays when it counts.
Red zone success will be key for the Rebels (5-6, 1-6 SEC) when they host No. 18 Mississippi State (7-4, 3-4) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. Below are Luke’s full responses from Wednesday’s teleconference.
On LSU DC Dave Aranda:
- Very impressed with him. They are one of the few teams that challenged us one-on-one on the outside. He does a nice job with the scheme, makes you work for everything you get.
On Ole Miss’ offense not finishing drives in the red zone:
- You have to find ways to run the quarterback, and you have to make plays. You can’t have drops, have to win the one-on-ones and you have to pound the ball in there. We are going to the right spots, but we’ve not made plays, had a few drops.
On Mississippi State’s defense:
- It’s the same thing. The field shrinks down there. They stood up Alabama down there. I don’t think they gave up a rushing touchdown at home. We are going to have to man up in this game.
On Alabama DL Quinnen Williams:
- I thought he was really, really good. I didn’t hear much about him entering the game, but after studying his tape, I was impressed. He was very, very impressive. Strong, twitchy. We struggled to block him.
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
