Ole Miss Front Four will Challenge the Kentucky Offensive Line

Kentucky invested in improving its offensive line this offseason. There was a solid return on that investment in week one, but that was against Toledo. They’ll be pushing much bigger bodies in the SEC, and the grind starts this Saturday.

“We had to be a more physical team. They had to feel our presence. That showed up at all levels. We were able to run the ball extremely well. I thought we protected well,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said earlier this week.

“Moving forward against an SEC opponent, that’s gotta be in our DNA.”

New Faces on the Ole Miss Defensive Line

Ole Miss had arguably the best defensive line in the SEC a year ago. Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, and JJ Pegues were all selected in the NFL Draft, and Jared Ivey made the Seattle Seahawks 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent.

The Rebels were forced to reload, and it didn’t look like they missed a beat in week one. Zxavian Harris had 1.5 TFLs, an interception, and a blocked kick in the win over Georgia State. The Rebels are big in the interior and have a lot of length on the edge.

“We definitely aren’t underestimating them,” said Kentucky offensive guard Josh Braun. “They’re going to be a talented D-line in the SEC. At the end of the season when you look back, Ole Miss may have one of the best defensive lines in the SEC. That’s a credit to them, it’s a credit to their coaching staff, their development, and the guys they’re able to get out of the portal.”

Ole Miss is incredibly active up front. They’ll slant their linemen and try to create pressure with twists.

“We have to communicate through the chaos,” said Braun. “You have to know your responsibility, know your assignments, and trust the guy next to you that he knows his. You gotta run your track and make the blocks that are there.”

Long, Sustained Drives are Imperative

Kentucky football fans were begging for a big play on Labor Day weekend. The Wildcats were effective at ripping off 5-yard runs and boasted a 48.8% rushing success rate (No. 36 FBS), but struggled to rip off runs that moved the chains. Dante Dowdell finally provided that big-play pop with a 79-yard touchdown run.

Running backs are eager to look for those big plays, but the hogs in the trenches love grinding out a long, sustained drive.

“The first half of the game really sets up the big runs in the second half. You pound away play in and play out, and hope to hit one, but I think true offensive linemen love the three, four-yard gains that we get. For an offensive line, it’s much more satisfying to have a 15-play drive where you get five yards a run, 15 times in a row and score,” said Braun.

Those long drives are the key to success for Kentucky. Ole Miss wants to play fast. In their 10 scoring drives against Georgia State, only one lasted longer than four minutes. In order to give the defense a chance, the Kentucky offense has to control the ball and let those guys suck some oxygen on the sideline.

“When you get into 10, 12-play drives, you can’t give in to being tired or having a mental breakdown,” said offensive line coach Eric Wolford. “That’s something you gotta push through. We had a couple lapses here and there when we were in those longer drives that I feel like could’ve been better. That’s been a point of emphasis moving forward.”

The offensive line took a step in the right direction in the opening game of the season. They need to take two steps forward and own the trenches to give the Wildcats a chance at upsetting Ole Miss.

“It’s the little things here and there, where once we correct them, you’ll start to see the big runs more often,” said Braun.