Ole Miss Egg Bowl Uniform Preview ~ 2015

This is going to be short and to the point.

This is THE University of Mississippi.

This is the Flagship University.

Chad vs. Dak.

Hugh vs. Dan.

We don't wear gimmicky uniforms.

We don't play out of hate.

Us vs. Them.

Now beat them.

What else needs to be said?

BEAT STATE.

Ole Miss vs. LSU Uniform Review ~ 2015

Well that was a fun one, wasn't it?  Feels good to beat your rival at home, excuse me, dominate your rival at home, huh?  That is exactly what Ole Miss did to LSU in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.   They looked good doing it, too.

@OleMissFB

Rebels Quarterback Chad Kelly said it best, "We're rolling, we're doing a good job."

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

He couldn't be more correct.  Chad himself threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for 81 yards and two more scores on the ground.  Talk about having a day.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

The Landshark Defense was out in full force as well, bottling up former Heisman Trophy Candidate Leonard Fournette.  Sure, LSU has lost three in a row now, but Fournette is every bit as good as he was hyped to be.  Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss (as we all know) are just three pretty good teams that did their job and shut him down.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Ole Miss beat LSU 38-17, and mathematically they are still alive for the SEC West.  All that aside, it's the Egg Bowl up next.  That should be motivation enough to respond.  Let's finish strong for once Rebs.

Ole Miss vs. Arkansas Uniform Review / Ole Miss vs. LSU Uniform Preview

After having about two weeks to digest the game, and take in some more football across the conference and country, I think I can finally talk about this game; briefly.  The amount of shootouts, 4th and twenty-fives, and two-point conversions on social media have burned me out, and if you don't know what happened by now, I'm jealous of you my friend.

@OleMissFB

The bottom line is this.  The offense was spectacular, because they had to be.

 Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

The defense was awful, but give credit where it is due.  Brandon Allen is a bad man when he gets hot.  He may just be the best quarterback in the SEC.  

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Arkansas seems to have gotten hot, just as they did last year, when the season is coming to a close.  I wish Ole Miss could have that going for them.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Now I am no expert, but there seems to be a pretty solid trend here for the Rebs under Hugh Freeze. Since the 2012 season, Ole Miss is 5-8 in November. State (12-14) & Arkansas (12-13) are the only SEC wins in that stretch.

Folks, that's not good if you want to win championships.  I don't know whether it is a depth issue (likely), coaching and development of players as a year progresses, game adjustments (in-game & out), or what, but there is something.  Ole Miss does awesome at setting itself up early in the season to win it, but falls flat on it's face in the ladder part of the season.  Championships are won in November.  To rub a little salt in the wound, as these last two weeks have played out, everything seems to have fallen in place for Ole Miss to not only make it to Atlanta, but also make it into the playoff with a win.  All the dominos have fallen, except the only one that mattered.  Ole Miss taking care of business.

With that being said, this is football, and the Arkansas game is a prime example of how anything can happen and why we love this sport.  Ole Miss just happened to be on the wrong end.  There is a bright side, and there are two more HUGE games to play.  That starts this week when the Bayou Bengals come into town.  Now, two weeks ago this did not look too promising, but after suffering exposing beatdowns at the hands of Alabama (surprise) and Arkansas (maybe the win over Ole Miss wasn't such a fluke after all), LSU comes limping into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as a 4 point dog to the Rebs. Now that could either be a blessing or a curse.  One side of the coin, with two weeks to prepare for Ole Miss, and LSU & Leonard Fournette looking human, Ole Miss may have a good shot in Oxford.  On the other side, with their SEC and Playoff hopes all but driven into the grave in two straight games, LSU could be just mad enough to come and embarrass the Landshark Defense and wreak havoc on the exposed unit.  Either way, I think the Rebs will have their hands full with this one.

So let's all just strap in and enjoy the ride.  Even more depressing than how this season has turned out so far is that there are only two regular season games left.  Saturday will most likely be the last time we see Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell, and Laremy Tunsil in an Ole Miss uniform at the Vaught.  There is a possibility of Tony Conner, Evan Engram, and even Chad Kelly all leaving as well, not to mention all the seniors.  I hate to be the "debbie downer" here, but that is the reality we are looking at.  That 2013 class came in here to change the culture and national perception of Ole Miss, and they have done that.  But I just can't accept or believe there is not huge disappointment with how everything has unfolded.  Then again, would you have ever believed me if I would have told you at the beginning of the season that Ole Miss was two games from sweeping the SEC West, minus Arkansas?  (And still not going to make it to Atlanta.)

Either way, Hotty Toddy, Go Rebs, Beat LSU. (please)

Ole Miss vs. Auburn Uniform Review ~ 2015

With the SEC West still firmly in their control, The No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels put everything on the line once again, this time on the road in Jordan-Hare Stadium.  Hugh Freeze and his football team beat the Auburn Tigers 27-19 on Halloween Night, and the road to Atlanta will for another week run through Oxford, Mississippi.  This is the first time in school history that the Rebels have taken down both of the major football teams in the state of Alabama.  Alabama State Champs?  Has a nice ring to it, huh?

(Yes, I did make this.  Shameless self-promotion time, but if you need any kind of artwork or design, I got you.)

@OleMissFB

In the uniform department, I finally got one right.  Thanks Hugh.  The Rebels came out sporting what I think is their best look (only made better by pairing it with the Powder Blue Helmets), wearing their standard Navy helmet, White jersey with Red stripes and numbers, and their Gray pants.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

The game started out well for the Rebs as well with the Landshark Defense holding the Tiger offense and forcing a punt on the opening possession.  Chad Kelly and company would then proceed to march the ball right down the field and into the redzone, but had to settle for a field goal.  But as we have all learned from the past games, points are points, so take them when you can get them.  With the ensuing field goal by Gary Wunderlich good, Ole Miss took a quick 3-0 lead over Auburn in the first quarter.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Following a strong opening stand, the defense would once again halt Gus Malzahn and his spread offense, this time with an interception by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (#HailPerk) transfer and Ole Miss cornerback Tony Bridges.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Yes it is a rough year on the Plains, so say what you will about the Tigers, but holding that offense to 19 points is something to be proud of.  A Gus Malzahn offense, much like a Hugh Freeze offense, is built to explode on any given play.  Sure there were some missed assignments and tackles, and a badly busted coverage on Auburn's first touchdown pass, but the unit is head and shoulders better than it had been in the previous weeks before Texas A&M.  The Landshark Defense earned it's keep on Saturday.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Robert Nkemdiche was back from his concussion, and boy did he look like his number-one-overall-pick-esque self.  There was one play in the game where he bulldozed a Tiger offensive lineman right into the face of the quarterback.  Talk about embarrassing for that guy.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

I think it goes without saying that Auburn quarterback Sean White had a tough day.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Offensively, it wasn't bad for the Rebs, but it wasn't great either.  Chad Kelly threw two interceptions, and it almost hurt Ole Miss as they needed a late fourth quarter touchdown to pull away, and had to force an incompletion on what would have been a game-tying (pending a 2-point conversion) Hail Mary.  As the season and the race to Atlanta comes down to the wire, the turnovers are going to need to be cut back on, especially in a game like LSU where every possession could be a game breaker.  On the positive side, how 'bout Rebel running back Akeem Judd?  He was explosive, making two Tigers look dumb on a scoring run late in the second quarter.  He could be part of the answer to Ole Miss' short yardage woes. (Judd behind Liggins behind Tunsil out of the I-formation sounds pretty dang good to me.)  

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

How bout our "just average" receiver Laquon Treadwell having himself a little redemption?  This time around it was only fitting that he would be the one to stick the nail in the Auburn coffin on a SportsCenter Top 10 catch over his shoulder and the torched head of a Tiger defender.  Where was the boom on that one Muschamp?

At the end of the day, the Rebels got out of Auburn with a win, and I don't care who you are, road victories in the SEC are hard to come by.  Still in control of their own destiny, Ole Miss responded the right way, and there was a lot of "team" out there on that field.  Hugh Freeze has his guys playing with heart and a purpose, and that's all you can ask for as a coach.  Lets hope it can last.  The Rebels have two home showdowns and Starkville (yikes) to go, and Atlanta is on the line.

Straight out of Rydell High, I think we made a pretty good preppy Sandy and Danny for Halloween.  What'cha think? 

 The scoreboard was big, and Auburn was fun.  It would be a great place if it wasn't Auburn.

See y'all in the Grove, and beat them damn Hogs.