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OXFORD — The Ole Miss football spring game comes with a twist in 2024 ‒ it’s not actually a game.
Instead, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has opted to transform the Grove Bowl into the Grove Bowl Games, which will include seven-on-seven action and some skills competition fun.
Undoubtedly, though, it will make for a different viewing experience than the more traditional format we’re used to. What can we learn when the Rebels take the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday (3 p.m., SEC Network+)?
Do Ole Miss football’s reserve quarterbacks pass the eye test?
Quarterback competitions dominated the list of storylines for the past two Grove Bowl events. There will be no such intrigue in 2024 ‒ Jaxson Dart is the guy.
Still, Ole Miss’ quarterback room will be under the microscope, mostly because the names behind Dart remain a bit of a mystery to those who aren’t inside the Manning Center regularly.
Walker Howard played 14 total snaps for the Rebels last season, and 13 of them came in the first week of the season against a hapless Mercer FCS defense. How has he progressed? Can he be relied upon to step in if Dart gets injured? Should he be considered the starter in waiting if and when Dart moves on following the season?
Some seven-on-seven reps won’t answer those questions, but they might help us start to form an educated guess.
Similarly, Ole Miss fans have heard the hype about Austin Simmons and his rocket arm, but they haven’t seen it on the field ‒ though he looks special on the baseball diamond. Early enrollee AJ Maddox could get some time, too.
How does Ole Miss’ revamped secondary look against the Rebels’ wideouts?
The nature of seven-on-seven football will highlight the individual matchups between Ole Miss’ wide receivers and its defensive backs, and that’s an exciting proposition.
Ole Miss’ group of wideouts ‒…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/three-questions-ole-miss-football-100424990.html
Author : The Clarion Ledger
Publish date : 2024-04-09 10:04:24
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