‘Discipline!’ Ole Miss LB TJ Dottery Reveals Key in Stopping Arkansas QB Taylen Green

The No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels need a win on Saturday to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive, but standing in the way of that goal are the Arkansas Razorbacks and a talented quarterback in Taylen Green.

So far this season, Green has thrown for over 2,000 yards (11 TDs, 7 INTs) and rushed for an extra 395 (5 TDs). In short, he can make electric things happen on the football field when he has the ball in his hands, and stopping his dual-threat capabilities is priority No. 1 for the Rebels on Saturday.

Linebacker TJ Dottery is one of the key aspects of coordinator Pete Golding’s defense at Ole Miss, and he discussed a key in stopping Green during a press conference on Tuesday.

“Definitely discipline,” Dottery said. “Just everybody doing their job and staying on their assignment rather than getting antsy and wanting to go get a sack. Just be disciplined and do our job.”

Discipline involves more than simply sticking to an assignment. It also goes all the way to tackling form, and being able to square up and secure Green is easier said than done when he’s on the move.

That’s where linebackers like Dottery come in. The Ole Miss front seven as a whole will be tasked with containing Green’s elusiveness, and they know how dangerous he can be in the open field.

“He can run really well,” Dottery said. “Once he gets out of the pocket, he’s really good at making defenders miss and getting extra yards.”

In last week’s win over Mississippi State, Green threw for over 300 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 79 yards and a score. One of his runs alone accounted for 32 yards on the ground, so form tackling will be a major key for Ole Miss this weekend.

Kickoff between Ole Miss and Arkansas in Fayetteville on Saturday is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.