Dontario Drummond, Snoop Conner making the most of their opportunities for the Rebels
OXFORD, Miss. — It is the Boy Scouts who use the motto, “Be prepared.” But members of the Ole Miss football team seem to have adopted that phrase and after the 43-24 win over Louisville, the Rebels appear to have earned several merit badges.
At any moment, any player could be called upon to make a play. Monday, wide receiver Dontario Drummond took his opportunity and had a career night.
The senior from Laurel, Miss. finished with nine catches for 177 yards and one touchdown in the win.
ELITE connection between Matt Corral and Dontario Drummond 🔥pic.twitter.com/8T0B1sqEB1
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 7, 2021
“You never know when you play in these systems and they go to take away people, and we got a lot of soft coverage outside and really deep, which statistically you wouldn’t think that would be case, but they stayed deep and didn’t let us get behind them, and that takes away your outside receivers a little more,” Kiffin said after the game Monday night.
“(Drummond is) our slot, like Elijah (Moore) was a year ago. So, he ended up getting a lot more catches and a lot more opportunities. So, nine (catches), 177 (yards), with one coming back, it was a really cool day by him.”
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin
Drummond was not the only Rebel to seize his opportunity against the Cardinals. Running back Snoop Conner ran for a team-high 60 yards on eight carries with a pair of touchdowns.
Snoop Conner with a VENGEANCE!
Ole Miss 36 – 10 Louisville pic.twitter.com/zqs9NMCR7z
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) September 7, 2021
“I think this guy is setting a great example for our team,” quarterback Matt Corral said of Conner.
“When those depth charts came out, he was fourth on the depth chart. He’s fourth on the depth chart right now, and not a word came out of him. That guy was doing extra. He was in the film room. He was getting his footwork right. Getting the protection right. That guy was doing everything right and that’s a definition. That’s a winner. We need more of him on our team.”
Matt Corral on Snoop Conner
Conner knows the coaches have the say on the depth charts and all he can do is to keep working to move up the list.
“I have to control what I can control and put my head down and keep going. I know the work I put in, it will come out in the back end, and I’ll have a good, what I can say, a good end to it.”
Ole Miss RB Snoop Conner
The next opportunity for Ole Miss players to make their mark is Saturday night when Austin Peay comes to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The venue will be different from a year ago as it will be open to full capacity.
That is something Conner looks forward to seeing.
“The night game, that’s one of the best atmosphere ever at Ole Miss,” Conner said. “And it’s going to be 100 percent capacity and I know our fans are going to show up and show out, so I’m ready.”
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
(Images courtesy Josh McCoy, Ole Miss; Graphic courtesy Nick Filipich, Rebel Walk)
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
