Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral presents a unique, but similar, challenge for Baylor defense

NEW ORLEANS — It is no secret to the Baylor defense what the key to slowing down the Ole Miss offense is — disrupt Matt Corral.

Though as the saying goes; you cannot stop him, you can only hope to contain him.

Containing the Rebel quarterback is the mission statement for the Bears in Saturday’s Sugar Bowl showdown. Doing so will be a challenge as Corral is one of the more dynamic quarterbacks the Baylor defense will face.

During their media availability on Thursday, Baylor defensive coordinator Ron Roberts gave his thoughts to the challenges Corral poses for his unit.

“He’s got a live arm,” Roberts said. “He’s athletic. He can extend plays. He can create plays. I think he sometimes has eyes on the sides of his head. He sees receivers, I don’t know how he’s seeing them sometimes. He’s very impressive quarterback.

“One of the things we’ve go to do is make him uncomfortable. We’re going to have to pressure him. We’ve got to have an effective rush because if he sits back there and has time to go to his second and third progression and do that stuff, he’s dangerous.”

There are not many quarterbacks in the Big 12 that are similar to Corral’s playing style.

Though, Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders is one that presents similar challenges in the run game in they eyes of Baylor safety Jairon McVea.

When the Bears faced Sanders in the Big 12 title game earlier this month, they kept the Cowboys quarterback in check. Sanders threw for 257 yards, completing 67 percent of his passes but four of those pass attempts ended up being interceptions.

On the ground, Sanders was held to 33 rushing yards and zero touchdowns on 13 carries.

“Corral can run it similar to (Sanders),” McVea said. “We had a great plan to stop his legs in Spencer Sanders. But, Corral has a cannon for an arm so we haven’t really played anyone who can throw the ball 75 yards in the air.”

Beyond acknowledging the challenges Corral poses to the defense, Baylor players are also respecting the skills he possesses.

Expected to be a first round pick and one of the first quarterbacks taken in April’s NFL Draft, members of the Bears defense are just are seemingly just as excited to be sharing the field with Corral as much as they are in trying to keep him contained.

When speaking about Corral, Baylor linebacker Dillon Doyle was nothing but complimentary.

“He extends plays in what you generally think of as like a Johnny Manziel-esque manner,” Doyle said. “He’s so entertaining to watch on tape. It’s so fun to have that challenge in front of us and I’m really looking forward to playing him. He’s going to be one of the top picks in the draft, so definitely thankful that we get the opportunity to play him.”