Ole Miss safety Ladarius Tennison learning to be 'physical' in new defense
Ladarius Tennison knows only one speed when on the football field and that is music to the Ole Miss defense’s ears.
Another SEC transplant who found his way to Oxford, Tennison made the move from Auburn along with teammate J.J. Pegues. Both were early enrollees and got their first set of spring practices under their belts.
Throughout spring and throughout the first week of fall camp Tennison has provided examples of why he will be another contributor in a crowded Ole Miss defensive backfield.
“I’m the type of person to always play fast,” Tennison said. “Practice how you play. So, if you practice soft and you practice slow that’s how you play in the game. I usually just always like playing fast and just playing hard.”
The secondary is a position where Ole Miss has plenty of depth and a healthy mix of returners and newcomers.
Tennison is of course in the second category, but sees an opportunity to get on the field sooner rather than later. With a large number of players in the secondary brings a variety of playing styles.
“Playing all over the field,” Tennison said of what he sees his role being. “Playing different positions. Just playing hard and just being the best that I can be.”
The move from Auburn to Ole Miss is one that has been similar to other transfers that made the decision to make Oxford their new home. Learning a new system under either Charlie Weis, Jr. or Chris Partridge — depending which side of the ball they are on — is a challenge at time.
Tennison was confident coming in that he could grasp the new playbook quickly after his time at Auburn.
“Playing fast. Be able to see formations and being able to be physical. That’s what I took from the spring game,” Tennison said. “This defense (Partridge) runs, you have to be very physical to be in it.”
The physical nature of the defense is expected to be turned up a notch this season.
Something both Partridge and players have both acknowledged throughout the spring and the first handful of practices in fall camp.
“They won’t play if they won’t hit you. That’s number one,” Partridge said. “We want to be violent. We want to come out of the secondary (and) we want to knock the crap out of people. That’s the number one thing that we’re looking for.”
Some of that new attitude was evident during Monday’s practice with a couple flare ups between Ole Miss teammates after some plays.
“We get chippy on the field because we got a lot of excitement,” Tennison said. “We know what kind of players we’ve got on the field. It’s always a competition going on so it’s bound to get rowdy out there. Just a lot of excitement.”
