I don't even know where to begin with this one. I am unsure if I can remember seeing something like what happened in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday before, I hope I don't have to see it again, but it's hard to argue with the fact that I probably will, multiple times, as the season sprints to a close. The Rebels went up to Memphis and got outplayed, and frankly, out-coached. Simple as that.
It was a beautiful uniform combination, though. Sadly, it was shown up by the Tigers and their heinous, Cincinnati Bengals rip-off, modgepodge of a uniform. The Rebels came out in the Powder Blues once again, this time over White jerseys and Gray pants, the same combination that they used to take down the Tide in Tuscaloosa on a night that now seems like ages ago.
@OleMissFB
When the game started, it looked like Ole Miss may have finally gotten their groove back. The Rebs scored 14 points and stuffed Memphis on every drive for the first five minutes of the game.
Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix
Then like switching a light switch, the Ole Miss from Florida and Vanderbilt was back. Memphis proceeded to score 31 unanswered points. When Ole Miss finally decided to wake back up, it was too late. They climbed into too big of a hole, and it cost them the game.
Let's go ahead and let this be known. I am not trying to take any credit at all away from the Tigers. They are a good football team. Justin Fuente is doing a heckuva coaching job. Paxton Lynch is every bit the guy at quarterback. But I am calling you a liar if you say you are shocked at what happened in Memphis. Yes sir (or ma'am), you. If you try to say that you did not see or think about this one coming, you are a liar. Maybe you didn't want to admit it or believe it could happen, I know I didn't. But Ole Miss has not been the same team since that night in Tuscaloosa, and maybe they never were. Sure, injuries hurt, and the offensive line is still bad, but there is something else going on in Oxford. Talent wise, this is one of those teams that you can look at and know that something special is there just waiting to be grasped. This many players with that kind of ability don't string together on one team in the same year very often, especially not in Oxford, Mississippi.
So what happened? Effort? Injuries? Coaching? Honestly, I can't say. It's not fair of me to judge when I am not an intimate part of the program. I am not in the locker room, and I do not know the dynamic of this football team on that level.
Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix
That being said, Senior Safety Trae Elston let the public in on a program issue, which is never what you want to have exposed as a coach. The ideal method is to deal with any problems internally, and learn from them. But, he said, "A lot of people on our team, we didn't have our heart into it." Now, with only one loss, controlling your own destiny in the SEC and Playoff race should be enough to give any football team heart, but hey, what do I know. It could be nothing, but it is worrisome that a senior, a leader, is telling the media he thinks there is a lack of heart in his locker room. So with that, I can only tell you my opinion based on what I hear, the performance every Saturday I see on the field, and the results that follow. Right now it's not good.
There will be a lot of chatter and chirping about Freeze, his credibility and decision making, and once again I am as guilty as anyone sometimes. But we need to remember that this is a tough and unpredictable game. Freeze has taken Ole Miss from the dumpster of college football to a team that is becoming competitive game-in and game-out in the toughest conference there is.
Sure, the decision to go for it on fourth down and not kick the field goal is ridiculed now. It didn't work. Granted, the play call itself was questionable because that play would have a hard time working with a functional offensive line and running game, much less what the Rebels had out there, but I don't question actually going for it when Ole Miss desperately needed some momentum. As for Robert Nkemdiche's concussion, come on man. You can not blame Freeze for that. I don't know any football coach out there who wouldn't do whatever he could to put his team in position to succeed. I don't know any coach who, with the same talent and situation, would not do the same thing. The guy played running back in high school.
It's not like he's out there lost and in danger because he doesn't know how to play the position. Not to mention, he is a monster out there. I don't think I know any defender in the country who could take him down solo.
No one was complaining when he was catching touchdowns.
Or how about blowing up the Vanderbilt defensive front? What say you then?
I say, he is just as susceptible to a concussion at defensive tackle, if not more so, as he is when he occasionally is playing power running back. Heads collide every single snap down in the trenches. He just happened to get tackled where his head hit the ground the wrong way. No one could have known it was coming, and that's football. That's the name of the game. He is a competitor and he knows what he's getting into when he straps on his chin strap. He wants to do anything within his power to help his football team win. I promise he wouldn't have it any other way. Defensively, Tony Connor's absence is showing greater every game. The defensive backs are struggling in coverage. Tackling is exceptionally bad, and maybe coaching can fix it, but ultimately that is on the players. The correct call was made multiple times, and players were in the right position to make a play and get off of the field multiple times. Missed tackles killed that. So not everything can solely be put on the coaching, even though that is always the scapegoat.
There were some semi-positives from this game too. The receiving threat that this team poses can be lethal, lethal, if they can get it going. Laquon Treadwell is one of the best wideouts in recent memory. We're talkin' Julio Jones and A.J. Green good. If this is the direction the offense needs to go, then maybe they should pursue it. The coaching staff will make the best decision and handle it.
Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix
The bottom line is that it's easy to question something from the couch or recliner when the pressure isn't on you to make the call. It's easy to chirp and chatter when something doesn't work or go well as you watch it on TV or from the bleachers. Once again, I am just as guilty as the next guy sometimes, but it needs to stop. If anyone can right the ship, we need to put faith in our coach to do so. Injuries and unforeseen circumstances are hard to overcome, and the Rebels have had more than their fair share of both, but the coaching staff has been trusted to do just that as best as possible. Don't forget that Ole Miss is only 3 1/2 years removed from 2-10, and every year since the staff has arrived they have improved their total in the win column. If anything, the Rebels are still ahead of schedule as far as having to build the program from nothing, which is what it was, nothing. Think about that for a second. Yeah, it sucks to lose, especially when you're "supposed to win," but the world ain't over.
Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix
Trust in the plan, trust in the team, and enjoy the ride. Nobody can win 'em all, not even the Alabama's of the world. So let's not get spoiled here.
It's way too early to jump ship. Hugh Freeze is our guy, so let's let the man coach and do his job.
Beat the hell outta Texas A&M.
Couldn't make the trip to Memphis due to a hot date I had planned with my Georgia girl (Can you blame me? Look at her). And for those of y'all out there who have never been to Athens, let me tell ya, you need to get out there. It's a good time to say the least. Their football atmosphere is okay, too. Between the Hedges: checked off the ole bucket list.
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