Ole Miss Passing Game Concerns Herring

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring didn’t make any secret about it: Ole Miss can throw the deep ball.

Other teams have already found that out.

With senior Seth Adams now starting at quarterback, the Rebels have shown more of an ability this season to stretch the field and attack defenses downfield.

Wide receiver Mike Wallace has proven to be Ole Miss’ deep threat. The junior leads the Southeastern Conference in yards per catch (23.0), and he has six catches of at least 40 yards this season.

That could pose a problem for Arkansas’ secondary, which has had trouble defending the deep ball this season.

“We’ve made some strides, but let’s wait and see because this is a very, very tough challenge for us,” Herring said Wednesday. “They go deep and they go deep often.

“They’ve got three (wide receivers) right now that can beat us deep, and we’ve got to be very, very smart.”

A year ago, Ole Miss had an offense that was physical running the football but lacked a passing threat with Brent Schaeffer under center. But that’s changed significantly with the addition of Adams and development of several wide receivers.

“They’re the best overall wideouts in this conference. As a crew, they’re the best,” Herring said of Ole Miss. “They’re the most talented. They’re the most productive. They go up and challenge you.”

Not surprisingly then, the Rebels have gone from last in the SEC in passing offense (136.1 yards per game) to fourth (243.3 ypg.) this season.

It should be a test for Arkansas’ cornerbacks.

“They have a great group (of receivers), and they can really run. So we just want to come out, do our job like we have been doing and play the ball,” Arkansas cornerback Matterral Richardson said.