Ole Miss concerned about Vols’ tough defense

“What can you not say about their front four?” Spurlock said Wednesday of the 10th-ranked Volunteers’ defensive linemen. “They’re big and explosive guys. We saw LSU put some points up against them, but that’s where their strength is.”

The Rebels are preparing for their first trip since 1997 to the Southeastern Conference’s largest venue, and Spurlock said defensive linemen Parys Haralson, Justin Harrell, Jesse Mahelona and Jason Hall got their attention Monday night by stuffing the No. 3 Tigers in the second half of their come-from-behind overtime victory.

Tennessee has the SEC’s best defense against the run, allowing 73 yards per game, and that could spell trouble for a Rebels team whose leading rusher, freshman Mico McSwain, started preseason camp as a free safety.

Coach Ed Orgeron knows something about strong line play — he helped build Southern California into a two-time national champion as the Trojans’ defensive line coach — and he says the Volunteers’ defensive front is a big reason for the team’s success.

“They play a good 4-3 defense built on their front seven,” Orgeron said. “They have an excellent defensive line and linebacking corps. They also have a great blitz package. They play very well at home, which is where we are playing them.”

Neyland Stadium and its 104,079 inhabitants promise a much more intense environment than perhaps the Rebels are used to.

Ole Miss plays its home games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, where the party is equally as important as the game, and women in formal dresses and men wearing ties get together to tailgate and socialize nearby in The Grove.

In Knoxville, the focus is almost exclusively on football.

“One-hundred-thousand people, there’s going to be a lot of noise, a different atmosphere than we’re usually used to,” defensive back Trumaine McBride said. “But we’ve got to stay focused and ‘X’-out all the other factors and come out and play Ole Miss ball.”

The Rebels are coming to a tough place to try to prevent their losing streak from reaching three games: Ole Miss has won only five times in Knoxville since 1902, and the most recent win came in 1983.

“It’s going to be loud,” Spurlock said. “I’ve been in some big stadiums watching, but it’s going to be fun to be there.”