By Billy Watkins
Ole Miss offensive left tackle Diego Pounds reflected this week on his “welcome to the SEC” moment.
It happened a little more than a year ago, at home against Kentucky. “When I ran out of the tunnel and saw the size difference that I had been playing against . . . and to think I was going to go against those types of guys week after week, that was an eye-opener.
“But that’s why I came to Ole Miss — to play against the best of the best all the time.”
Also, he added, he wanted to play in games such as the one coming up Saturday night in Oxford against the Florida Gators.
With Ole Miss sitting at No. 7 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings with a 9-1 record, this is considered one of the biggest games in recent school history.
Loaded with athletes but going through a coaching change, the Gators are 3-6 and coming off a blowout loss to Kentucky. Their highest ranking in scoring offense, rushing offense or passing offense is 13th out of 16 SEC teams. By comparison, Ole Miss ranks second, sixth and fourth.
“Doesn’t matter,” said the 22-year-old Pounds, a 2024 transfer from North Carolina of the Atlantic Coast Conference. “You have to sit back each week and realize the potential of all these teams we play. This might be the week they click. You just don’t know. We never want to lose a game because we didn’t prepare like we should have.
“Coach (Lane) Kiffin talks about having no regrets. None of us want to be the guy that didn’t take an opponent seriously. I think you could tell last weekend (in a 49-0 rout of The Citadel) that we are preparing each week with a goal of going 1-0.
“Of course, facing Florida is not a game that anybody has to get you excited about. We’re already excited, knowing what’s on the line.”
The Gators were 5-5 a year ago when they basically eliminated the No. 9-ranked Rebels from the playoffs with a 24-17 upset victory in Gainesville.
“But that was last year,” Pounds said. “We’re a different team this year.”
***********
That is certainly true along the offensive line. It has allowed only two sacks in its six SEC games and helped sophomore running back Kewan Lacy rush for 912 yards through 10 games, which ranks second in the SEC. His 16 rushing touchdowns are most in the nation.
The improvement started during the offseason. The coaches wanted slimmer blockers who were more mobile. Most of the linemen lost weight but gained strength and quickness. Pounds went from 34o to 318.
“It’s definitely made me a better player,” said Pounds, who earned SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week early in the season. “I feel a lot better, my knees feel a lot better and I’m moving a lot better.”
Left tackles welcome any advantage possible because they are usually going against opponents’ best pass rushers.
“We face guys who are 6-6, 270 and run a 4.9 40 (yard dash),” Pounds said. “To go against them, you have to have size, reach and the feet to go with it. And you have to be athletic.”
Each week, Pounds studies the tendencies of the rushers he will go against that Saturday.
“I look at how wide they line up, their moves, their counter moves,” he said. “It’s a lot to take in but we have a great scout team to mimic what those guys do. Coach (John) Garrison (offensive line coach) and Coach (James) Cregg (analyst) do a great job of simplifying things and reminding us that if things get crazy, just go back to your training.”
The line has shown steady improvement
“Think about it,” Pounds said. “We have to have five guys on the same page every play, and all five have a different job every play. Things have to go perfect. I don’t think people realize how hard that is. It takes time to build that.”
Kiffin mentioned at a press conference recently that outsiders “would probably be shocked at just how little we practice.”
Pounds explained: “Coach Kiffin takes good care of our bodies. The season s a grind. A real grind. But our practices are so well structured.”
Players are in full pads on Tuesdays, helmets and shoulder pads on Wednesdays. The rest of the week is focused on the mental side of that week’s game plan.
“We have ‘no sweat Thursdays’ and that’s when we go over our assignments against every look that we might see,” Pounds said. “It’s challenging. Not nearly as easy as it sounds.
“But we appreciate how Coach Kiffin does things. I think it’s definitely the pro mindset that he has.”
**********
Pounds was rated a three-star prospect out of Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C. He was offered by several SEC schools — Ole Miss was not one of them — but decided to sign with North Carolina.
“During my (two) years there, it seems like all I saw on TV was Coach Kiffin and how much people loved him,” Pounds said. “Sounded like he would be a fun coach to play for — and he has been.”
Since transferring to Ole Miss, Pounds has developed more than he imagined.
“I’m so much more confident,” he said. “Yes, I’ve worked hard to become a better player. But I’ve also become a better person. I’m serious about my faith now, and God has helped me through all of this. I’m playing for Him now and give Him all the glory. That has allowed me to play free. It takes all the pressure off me.
“I love the way Coach Kiffin puts it, that he needed Ole Miss and Oxford way more than they needed him. I feel the same way about myself. God works in mysterious ways, but I know now that no matter what happens, things are gonna be all right.”
#########
