Jul 17, 2014; Hoover, AL, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze talks to the media during the SEC Football Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel. Photo Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
It’s good not to be Steve Spurrier’s whipping boy at SEC Media Days.
Ole Miss and coach Hugh Freeze were the target of a Spurrier zinger two years ago when the South Carolina coach answered a scheduling question by saying he’d like to play the Rebels every year.
“I don’t blame Steve for saying that,” Freeze said Thursday at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Ala. “At that point, who wouldn’t have wanted to play Ole Miss? I don’t take it personally.
“I do think standing here today that you would rather be in my shoes with a Bo Wallace coming back. … But standing here last year, nobody was talking about (Auburn’s) Nick Marshall either. And two years ago, nobody was talking about Johnny Manziel.”
Ole Miss was 3-5 in the SEC last season but won eight games, including at Texas and beating Georgia Tech in the Music City Bowl, and with nine defensive starters back and six on offense, Freeze is optimistic the turnaround project is going the right direction.
“The journey we’ve been on, it’s been faster than I thought possible,” said Freeze, who said he expects the Rebels to look like an SEC team and be competitive in every game this season.
Freeze said he will be much more aware and in tune with his players this season after a series of late kickoffs and road games drained a team that relied heavily on young players.
“Fatigue took place — if not physically, definitely mentally,” he said. “I had a learning curve on that too. We depended on so many young kids. … I do believe it took somewhat of a toll on them whereas an upperclassmen has experienced those things.”
Freeze said wide receiver Collins Moore will miss up to six weeks with a knee injury, a blow to his progress following a strong spring. But it’s also a positive for Ole Miss that for the first time depth concerns are not as steep.
“Being perfectly candid I think we’re ahead,” Freeze said. “This will be our first season that we have 85 guys that we recruited to be on scholarship. I just didn’t think, knowing the SEC and being around it my whole life and following it, I wasn’t sure we could accomplish what we did in year two.”
NOTES: Freeze said his 15-year-old daughter Ragan keeps personal rankings of conference head coaches — dad not included — and the current No. 1 is LSU’s Les Miles. Miles spent 10 minutes with her on the field before the game two years ago, and last season the two talked on the field before Freeze ever left the locker room. … LT Christian Morris (Achilles) has not yet been granted a waiver to play this season. … Junior college transfer cornerback Tee Shepard and freshman defensive tackle Chris Williams have not been cleared academically eligible.
