Notes: Rebels building much-needed defensive depth

OXFORD -- Much has been made about Ole Miss' switch from the 4-2-5 defense it has run for the last several seasons to the 3-4 scheme employed by new defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre.

The bigger challenge facing the Rebels this month, however, has been building the depth on defense that was lacking the past few years.

Through one week of camp, MacIntyre said he's liking what he's seeing in that regard at a number of positions.

At linebacker, for instance, MacIntyre said he's the inside linebackers at both positions.

"I try to do that with all our guys because it helps them learn it, but if you have injuries, you can always get the next best player in there," MacIntyre said, citing sophomore Jacquez Jones as an example of a player who has been making strides in camp.

"I think the guys that played last year, MoMo (Sanogo) and Willie (Hibbler), have been doing well," MacIntyre said. "Lakia Henry's come in and done really well. We're really excited about him. And then Jacquez and (Zikerrion) Baker and Donta (Evans) are doing really well. Donta has kind of taken a step from the spring and done really well."

Ole Miss appears to be rotating as many as nine players on the defensive line, and that doesn't include Qaadir Sheppard, who will miss the next 10 days of camp with a hand injury.

"In practice, you're trying to get everybody as many reps as you can," MacIntyre said. "You've got to develop depth. Injuries happen in football, so if we're not prepared to handle injuries, it makes it really tough. Sometimes it's hard to overcome injuries. Just as the Golden State Warriors."

MacIntyre said he feels good about the Rebels' top three cornerbacks, adding that "the thing about corner is it's kind of like quarterback. You don't really know until they get in the game. They're such on an island. They're going to get beat every once in a while. How do they respond? Right now, they're all competing. They show good athletic ability and so, we'll see as the games go along."

MacIntyre said he's rotating a number of players to find his fourth cornerback, putting candidates in different spots each day, against different receivers and different quarterbacks.

The Rebels will scrimmage Saturday. MacIntyre said he'll be watching for pad level up front, tackling in space and handling adversity.

Senior defensive lineman Austrian Robinson said Friday the daily competition has been increased this season due to the added depth up front.

Robinson had praise for Tariqious Tisdale, Josiah Coatney, Benito Jones, Quentin Bivens, K.D. Hill and others.

That depth has also allowed the defense to challenge the offensive line, and Robinson said he's liked what he's seen from that group in practice.

"They're way better than I thought they would be," Robinson said. "Mike Howard, I know he put on a lot of weight so he's stepped up a lot. Bryce (Mathews). Royce (Newman). Eli (Johnson) has been doing a great job. Ben (Brown) has been the way he is."

Robinson said he's playing all three positions up front in camp, echoing MacIntyre's philosophy regarding depth building.

Robinson said he's taken on a more of a vocal leadership role this season.

"I'm just being myself, trying to help as much as we can," Robinson said. "It's just talk, trying to keep people up really. It's just making sure if people have a bad play, it's (on to) the next play."