After Ole Miss football held its second scrimmage of fall camp this past weekend, Lane Kiffin held his usual Monday press conference and called the continued dominance of the Rebel defensive line the theme of camp.
The Rebel head coach recapped the scrimmage and gave his fall camp update on Monday as, this day next week, he'll be meeting with them for the first time on game week.
"Got into a little bit of game-planning today as if we were in season, so we can start working on the opener and get the players used to that schedule," Kiffin said. "But the next two days we'll still have some camp-like segments of practice, doing both. Good to turn a leaf to working on someone else and having service teams to do that. I think guys' attention picked up a little bit going over opponents' depth charts and things like that."
Offensive lineman Nate Kalepo and defensive back Brandon Turnage also spoke with the media to open the week, which can be found below.
D-LINE DOMINANCE
Last week, Lane Kiffin lauded the Ole Miss defensive line after its play in the first scrimmage of fall camp. This Monday morning was more of the same as the Rebel head coach again detailed the dominance of his defensive front.
"I thought the defensive line played extremely well again," Kiffin said. "Really caused us, including our first offense, some issues. That's kind of been the theme of camp—that unit playing really well, and they did again. They have a lot of different body types in that unit that are really hard to deal with. Obviously that's our team, so that's a good thing."
Of course, success in fall camp always begs the question—is Group A really that good, or should we be worried about Group B? Kiffin answered, saying he's pleased with the way the offensive line is coming together, noting the continuity required to field an elite offensive front.
"I think our offensive line has a chance to be improved. I think they're headed in the right direction," Kiffin said. "Those guys haven't played together. That takes some time too."
ROTATIONAL STRENGTH
Nate Kalepo, who figures to be one of the leaders on that offensive line unit, echoed his coach's sentiments. Ole Miss has no shortage of talent—the Rebels are confident in fielding a full two-deep rotation on the offensive front. The work now is on becoming a cohesive unit.
"All of us getting on the same page. Even if we make the wrong call, if we're all on the same page, it's going to work out just fine," Kalepo said. "With all those guys rotation, we just have to learn to work well with other people next to you. As long as we're on the same page, we'll be good."
The challenge lies in accomplishing that task while taking on perhaps the most talented defensive line in program history. Clashing with elite talent every day in practice will surely expose areas for improvement, and Kalepo and Co. are embracing that challenge.
"They're real strong, real stout—SEC D-line. I got to play a couple of stouter D-lines toward the back half of my season last year. I feel like going against it every day is only going to make me better," Kalepo said. "This season is going to be a fun one for sure."
READY FOR WEEK 1
While the Rebel offensive line is sharpened every day in practice against an elite unit across the field, they won't be the only beneficiaries of improved play up front on defense. Brandon Turnage and the rest of the Ole Miss secondary should also have plenty of opportunities to create turnovers, and Turnage asserts that the Rebels will always have someone back there to make a play.
"There's a lot of plays going to be made in that room," Turnage said. "No matter who you have on the field, there's always going to be a playmaker out there, two playmakers in the corner room, then the safety room as well."
For Turnage, whether he's pulling down an interception himself or setting up a return for his fellow DB, he'll be having fun out on Hollingsworth Field. The Oxford native and Lafayette High product has been visualizing taking the field in front of his hometown crowd, and he's feeling what every Ole Miss fan is feeling here in late August: He's ready for Week 1.
"I think about that every single day of the week. Every day I just get chills, just thinking about the atmosphere, the crowd, knowing I'll probably know a lot of people in the stands," Turnage said. "I think about that daily."
