For the first month of the 2014 season, the “Good Bo, Bad Bo” talk swept through Oxford, Miss., with dependable regularity.
After tossing a combined six interceptions in the Rebels’ first four games — still all victories – Ole Miss senior quarterback Bo Wallace quickly became the subject of a facetious game show played weekly among the Rebel faithful.
Which Bo will show tonight? “Good” or “Bad?”
But with back-to-back wins over ranked opponents and Ole Miss now confidently residing as the third-ranked team in the country, the constant chatter has been downgraded to a harmless whisper.
“I don’t see any inconsistency right now in his play,” Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said Monday. “All I have to go on is the video from this year. He’s playing winning football. He’s managing their offense. I think he brings a level of toughness to their offense.
“A lot of it is throws off the run game, nakeds, throw reads, designed quarterback runs. He understands how to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers, so he’s managing their offense. He’s playing winning football for them. He presents a defense so many challenges because of his grittiness and his toughness.”
Although the early turnovers may have initially plagued Wallace’s final stat line, the Pulaski, Tenn., native’s ability to successfully steer a high-powered offense hasn’t suffered.
At the regular season’s halfway point, Wallace has already churned out three 300-yard passing performances, ranks second among SEC signal callers in quarterback rating and has a Rebels offensive attack averaging 36 points a game.
“Their tempo — just how they go on offense, and they’ve got the guys in the right position to make plays,” sophomore cornerback Cameron Sutton said after Tuesday’s practice. “Bo Wallace does a great job of just facilitating the ball to receivers and handing the ball off to the backs.
“He makes great decisions back there.”
While the senior quarterback directs an Ole Miss offense that’s currently the SEC’s second highest in passing yards per game (295.2), it’s Wallace’s running abilities that have been consistently highlighted on the pregame scouting report
And the 6-foot-4, 217-pound gunslinger doesn’t enjoy going down easy.
“They like to run him a lot, and he doesn’t like to slide,” Vols senior defensive tackle Jordan Williams said. “So we’ve got to make him pay for that.”
Through Ole Miss’ first five contests, though, Wallace’s ground stats were modest at best — 39 yards on 36 touches — including two separate games where he rushed for one net yard or less.
But in last week’s 35-20 win at Texas A&M, the senior quarterback rebounded with authority, scampering for a team-high 50 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Rebels moved to 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since 2003.
“He’s a playmaker,” Jones said. “Manages their offense, and is very, very confident. I think they have taken on his personality. He expects to make plays and just a tremendous, tremendous competitor. You can see that on film right away.”
