Ole Miss breaking in new QB

FAYETTEVILLE -- Ole Miss is the latest SEC team to lose a starting quarterback.

Junior Jordan Ta'amu will make his first start for the Rebels (3-4, 1-3 SEC) when they play the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.

Ta'amu is starting in place of Shea Patterson, the SEC leader with 2,259 passing yards who suffered a season-ending right knee injury in LSU's 40-24 victory over Ole Miss last week.

Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M also have lost starting quarterbacks to injuries this season.

Ta'amu, a junior from Pearl City, Hawaii, transferred to Ole Miss from New Mexico Military Institute and earned the backup spot behind Patterson in spring practice.

In two series at LSU after Patterson left the game, Ta'amu completed 7 of 11 passes for 78 yards and rushed 3 times for 20 yards.

"I was very pleased with Jordan's opportunity," said Matt Luke, the Rebels' interim head coach. "You kind of have to base it on what you saw in the game. That's really what we're going off of.

"He's very capable. He's been preparing and his moment came and he stepped up into that moment and took advantage of the opportunities he had.

"I'm expecting to see more of the same, and I'm expecting everyone around him to raise their level up, too. I think that's a challenge for everybody."

LSU was Ta'amu's third game this season, but the first time he threw a pass. He's rushed six times for 54 yards.

"He pulled the ball down and got positive yards," Luke said of Ta'amu's rushing plays against the Tigers. "That's one of his strengths, that he can really run. He's a very, very good athlete."

Razorbacks defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said he was impressed with Ta'amu's play at LSU.

"I think he's a good football player," Rhoads said. "We've heard so much about [Patterson] without seeing him that I didn't know what kind of drop-off would exist going from 1 to 2.

"To be quite honest, I didn't see it. He throws a good ball. He's light on his feet. He ran the designed quarterback draw, as well as scrambled and got himself out of trouble and made some throws on the run.

"Very little change in the offensive play calling and what they were trying to accomplish. I don't see a change in their football team with him under center."

Sophomore Jason Pellerin, who moved from quarterback to tight end this season, is back taking snaps this week as Ta'amu's backup.

Last season, Pellerin completed 11 of 22 passes for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns.

"Just as far as throwing the ball, I think there will be some rust that he'll have to shake off," Luke said Pellerin. "He's been in a game before.

"So he does have some experience, and I think that will help him. But, we'll have to have a little bit different packages. He'll be able to do some things with his legs in some Wildcat formations. It won't be anything new, it'll be the same run schemes we already do, we'll just utilize an extra blocker to get the quarterback running the ball some if he has to go in there.

"I don't think there will be much rust as far as the run game. I think it'll be the pass concepts and the timing that will be the biggest challenges for him."

Luke, who coaches the offensive line, said he likes how Ta'amu gets rid of the ball quickly.

"You don't want a guy back there holding the ball, patting the ball," Luke said. "That was one of the things I saw in the game that he wasn't doing.

"I was really pleased with that, because the game does speed up when you get in this league. You have to make fast decisions. I thought he did a nice job of that in the game. If there was one thing he really needed to work on, that was it, and I thought he did a nice job of that when he had his opportunity."

Ole Miss has some playmakers in receivers A.J. Brown (39 catches for 171 yards and 6 touchdowns) and running back Jordan Wilkins (84 carries for 468 yards and 4 touchdowns), who should help Ta'amu in his first start.

"Everybody else around him has to step up -- O-line, receivers, running backs -- and we've got to do a great job of keeping the game plan simple for him and go execute," Luke said. "The more we do that, the better chance we have."

Sports on 10/25/2017