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SEC West Week 6 position battle: Ole Miss outside linebacker
By Ethan Levine
Published:
The Ole Miss Rebels have skyrocketed to the top of the SEC West standings with a 5-0 start to the season, headlined by last week’s win over Alabama in Oxford.
The Rebels are now No. 3 in this week’s AP Top 25, and are suddenly considered a contender for the SEC West crown and a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff this winter. They’ve gotten to this point on the back of a menacing defense that has allowed just three opponent touchdowns all season, leading the SEC in scoring defense.
The Ole Miss defense actually has more starter-caliber players than it can get on the field at one time, which brings us to this week’s SEC West position battle: the Rebels starting outside linebacker.
Ole Miss Outside Linebacker
Players involved: Serderius Bryant and Denzel Nkemdiche
Who will probably start: Nkemdiche
Who should start: Bryant
You may have already noticed this position battle is focused on the Ole Miss outside linebacker (singular, not plural), That’s because the Rebels typically like to run a 4-2-5 defense, meaning they prefer to keep an extra defensive back on the field in their base defense in favor of a third linebacker like most teams running a traditional 4-3 look.
As a result, there’s only room for one outside linebacker to complement veteran middle linebacker Deterrian Shackelford at the heart of the defense, and Bryant and Nkemdiche are both excellent choices to fill that role.
The parallels between the two players are uncanny. Both players were second team All-SEC selections by the Associated Press last season, and both are in their fourth year with Ole Miss after joining the team as part of former coach Houston Nutt’s 2011 recruiting class (Bryant is a senior, Nkemdiche is a redshirt junior).
Bryant led the team in 2013 with 78 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Nkemdiche finished with a modest 35 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery, although it should be noted Bryant saw more playing time last season in amassing higher totals in every category.
This year, however, Nkemdiche has closed the gap between the two, and he drew the starting assignment in last week’s win over the Crimson Tide. He’s made 18 tackles and 2 tackles for loss this season, while Bryant has added 13 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Neither player has forced a turnover yet in 2014, but both have played a major factor in the Rebels’ success on defense.
Which begs the question: who should start between the two going forward?
Bryant is the better candidate to start the second half of the season as the Rebels prepare to face an onslaught of ranked opponents in the coming weeks. Neither player is 6-feet tall, and both players weight between 210-220 pounds, but Bryant appears bigger on the field and plays a more physical brand of football, while will benefit the Ole Miss front seven against teams like Arkansas and Auburn.
Bryant’s instincts as a run stopper are better, and he’s a much better pass rusher, which will pay dividends this week against an explosive Texas A&M passing offense. Nkemdiche’s greatest advantage is in pass coverage, which will also be critical in the showdown with the Aggies, depending on the situation and what kind of look Ole Miss wants to present the A&M offense.
There will be plenty of snaps to get both on the field, and they’ll keep each other fresh for the long haul as they continue to split time, but Bryant is the better of the two and is more deserving of the starting job going forward. Nkemdiche has been the starter in recent weeks, and it obviously hasn’t cost Ole Miss any games, but as the going gets tough the Rebels should go with their toughest linebacker in Bryant.
It’s never a bad thing to have two players good enough to start at one position, but Ole Miss must rely more on Bryant like it did last season for the defense to remain fast and physical as the 2014 campaign wears on.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
