Johnson sacks field for top SEC honor|[10/10/06]
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Vicksburg High product made 16 tackles, forced two fumbles in Rebels’ win.
JACKSON – Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron couldn’t wait to get Rory Johnson on the field as a full-time player.
Now that’s happened, and the former Vicksburg High standout linebacker is showing he can become the kind of devastating playmaker Orgeron imagined him to be after making 16 tackles, forcing three fumbles and recovering two in a 17-10 victory Saturday over Vanderbilt.
He was named the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week Monday for his efforts in his second career start.
“He played fantastic during the game,” Orgeron said during his Monday news conference. “He missed a couple of things, but Rory can take a wrong step and make it up with speed. A guy with slower speed gets exposed out there. So we’re really excited that he’s become the player we thought he could become.”
The addition of Johnson gives the Rebels (2-4, 1-2 SEC) a formidable linebacking corps as they prepare to play Alabama (4-2, 1-2) this Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The game will be broadcast by ESPN at 2:30 p.m.
All-American middle linebacker Patrick Willis is the SEC’s leading tackler (10.3 tackles per game) and the only player in the conference averaging more than 10 a game.
Strongside linebacker Garry Pack is 10th in the league with seven tackles per game and Johnson is quickly catching up. He played in a limited role before starting the last two games and now has a total of 42 tackles.
And the 6-foot-1, 235-pound transfer from Hinds Community College is having a great time as he racks up statistics.
“It feels good to finally get a chance to play on the big-time level, and I love it,” Johnson said after Saturday’s win.
Orgeron’s favorite play came with the Commodores threatening to tie the score at the Rebels’ 2 with less than 8 minutes left. Johnson stripped the ball away from quarterback Mackenzi Adams and appeared to be headed for a touchdown when he became tangled with his own player and went down.
“That was a big-time play,” Orgeron said. “I think it could have been a touchdown if B. (Bryan) Brown would not have tackled him. I’ve got to tell B. Brown not to tackle a guy with the same color jersey.”
Johnson didn’t mind. He said after the win that the game in the SEC is starting to slow down and he’s taking advantage of every opportunity, just like the one Adams gave him.
“The quarterback had the ball sitting out there, and I had to take it,” Johnson said. “It feels good. Everything just felt good today. It feels great to get a win. It’s the best feeling ever.”