Ole Miss linebackers adjust to Ruggs’ injury
OXFORD – Ole Miss defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff and linebackers coach Jon Sumrall sat down after practice last Tuesday and decided they should probably get senior linebacker Detric Bing-Dukes more reps.
Their plan against Texas Tech, who the Rebels were set to play Saturday, was to go young and quick. Bing-Dukes hadn’t taken a snap with the first or second team in at least a week, Sumrall estimated. But what would happen if there was an injury, or the freshmen they had penciled into the rotation buckled under the pressure of their first college game?
As it turned out, starting outside linebacker Kevontae’ Ruggs did suffer a head injury early in the Rebels’ 47-27 win over Texas Tech, and Bing-Dukes was called on to take a heavier load. This week, as Ole Miss prepares for Southern Illinois’ run-heavy offense, Bing-Dukes could slide into a starting role if Ruggs is unable to play Saturday. Ruggs is dayto-day this week while under concussion protocol.
One play by Bing-Dukes Saturday especially stood out to Sumrall. Texas Tech isolated the senior linebacker and Red Raiders running back Demarcus Felton on a pass play designed to create an athletic mismatch. In one swift motion Bing-Dukes made a clean tackle.
“He made that play and made one or two other plays and got involved in space that I was surprised with a little bit, that I hadn’t seen him do from a production standpoint,” Sumrall said. “So I thought he did some good things.”
Bing-Dukes said that every day he’s been focusing on playing better in space, and he’s shown improvement. In more than 30 snaps Saturday, Sumrall said, there was just one play in space that made him cringe. Bing-Dukes’ natural role, as Sumrall put it, is “b-gap to b-gap, old school, Midwest Mike linebacker.”
Bing-Dukes began fall camp with the first team, but after Ole Miss’ first scrimmage he dropped out of the No. 1 spot.
“When he was moved down the depth chart, his attitude didn’t change one bit,” McGriff said. “He had a phenomenal attitude—I call it a championship attitude. He stayed on task, and he came to the meeting room and took notes as if he was still with the ones, and you could see the coaching from the sideline and leadership. A lot of times with guys, [when] a role’s been reduced, they tend to pout, and you can see it physically. But that young man continued to work.”
The Rebels had freshmen like Ruggs at outside linebacker show that their quick play and physicality would outweigh the inevitable mistakes that would come with inexperience. At middle linebacker, Mohamed Sanogo dropped weight and displayed a knack for communication.
Heading into Saturday’s game, BingDukes, junior Willie Hibbler and sophomore Sanogo were the only linebackers on the roster that had played a snap of college football, and Sanogo’s experience came from special teams. BingDukes had the most experience on his resume, playing 22 games for Ole Miss over the past two seasons.
“For one thing, I wanted to be there for them,” Bing-Dukes said. “I didn’t want them to see me being pissed off and showing them the wrong way to handle things. I wanted them to learn from me even when they’re down they still need to prepare like they’re starting every single week.”
On Saturday, Bing-Dukes put that preparation to use, logging four tackles. When Ruggs came out of the game, the Rebels moved Sanogo, who had started at middle linebacker, to Money back. Hibbler’s minutes also increased. Freshman Jacquez Jones impressed both McGriff and Sumrall in his debut.
“That’s what’s fun is watching true freshmen go out there and play significant snaps in that environment,” Sumrall said. “He did a really admirable job, and I’m excited about what he’s going to be. … I was fired up about some things that he did. Now, was it perfect? No. But he showed some promise.”
Ole Miss will likely roll out a similar lineup Saturday. Luke did not rule out Ruggs for Saturday when addressing injuries in his Monday press conference. However, the freshman standout did not practice Tuesday and Sanogo took reps on the outside, making Ruggs' return this week seem unlikely.