Ole Miss Football: Matt Corral leaves plenty to be desired in spring game

Some question marks will remain with Ole Miss football for the future of the quarterback position after Jordan Ta’amu departs next year.

Ole Miss football took part in their spring game (also known as the Grove Bowl) on April 7. With one of the more injured rosters in the SEC during spring drills, the Rebels were without a ton of key faces at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium over the weekend.

That left Ole Miss’s most watched incoming freshmen, and their highest rated recruit, with an uphill battle facing him at the Grove Bowl. Four-star quarterback prospect Matt Corral flipped from the Florida Gators, to Ole Miss, to give head coach Matt Luke his most highly touted of the 2018 recruiting class.

After the transfer of former Rebels quarterback Shea Patterson, to join Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines, the starting spot became more realistic for a guy like Corral. However, last year’s starter down the stretch Jordan Ta’amu played very well, and is the clear favorite to win the starting role entering the 2018 campaign.

Corral needed a big spring game to keep up the momentum he’s apparently generated throughout spring practice. He ran with the second team offense, with even less weapons than Ta’amu had. There were a few drops and miscommunication with his targets, but Corral did not make the most of his chance on April 7.

Even tossing two interceptions didn’t help the case for Corral. Both picks were very bad throws from Corral, showing some of the obvious progression he still needs to make. The Rebels would have to be in a dire situation to put Corral in the spotlight, given his body of work in the Grove Bowl.

Moreover, of the three touchdowns managed by the Ole Miss offense here, Corral did not lead any of those scoring drives. Ta’amu, and standout wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, commanded most of the positive attention for Ole Miss football fans.

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The biggest issues on display from Corral included his timing (or lack thereof), accuracy, and overall inconsistency. He’s an early enrollee, so this experience is very valuable before fall camp starts. If Ole Miss fans were expecting Corral to come in and make an immediate impact for the offense, they’ll need to put their hopes with other players.