I am going to take a different approach today than with previous games. Instead of talking about individual performers in the various position groups, I will fly up to 30,000 feet and make some game/program observations.
Effort/Atomosphere
I thought our guys, to a man, laid it on the line Saturday. We played with tremendous effort. We blocked till the whistle. We ran to the ball and gang-tackled. We took several big hits and came back from nicks and bruises. We showed emotion numerous times. We had more than enough effort to win the game. I can't ask any more out of a team than what I witnessed Saturday. I am proud of them all.
The fans brought it too. It was the best VHS has been this season. Everyone in our section (P) was hollering on every play. The only thing that could have been better was for VHS to have been constructed more vertically to trap more noise. I am hoarse today. Great job by the fans as well.
Talent
A look at the talent composite for 2022 will show you that Alabama has 14 5-star players and 59 4-star players, for a total of 73 of 85. This is the most talented roster in college football. Georgia is next with 67 of 85. Ole Miss has 1 5-star (Evans) player and 23 4-star players, for a total of 24 of 85. This is the 22nd most talented roster in college football.
This brings up an interesting question: Do we need 70 players that are/were 4 and 5 stars to compete? The short answer is, no. We do need more than we have though. Only 11 can play at a time, but you have to have quality depth sprinkled throughout your 2-deep on both sides to maintain a high level of performance for 4 quarters against a talented team like Alabama. Our starters had to play abnormally high numbers of snaps (check the snap counts pinned post) in order to stay in the game. It was more than a coincidence that Alabama started having more success in the later stages of the game while our production fell off. The bottom Line, we got beat because Alabama had more quality depth on both sides of the ball than we did.
So, what is the magic number? I am a retired (for now) high school coach, so what I am about to type here is little more than an educated SWAG. I am thinking somewhere around 40 players that are/were 4/5 star types sprinkled equitably throughout your 2 deep is a good place to start. I honestly don't see Alabama being able to stack 3 and 4 deep talent like this moving forward in the new NIL world. If we want to be a player moving forward, we all need to do our part. Join the Grove Collective.
Coaching
CLK coached differently in this game than in any I have seen since he got to Ole Miss. When I was coaching, I always tried to remember that players, not plays, win games, to not try and win games as the play caller. That said, we ran numerous plays Saturday that had not been seen this year and attempted some "tricks for six"plays. Tricks for six is not normal for CLK.
I said at the time from my seat in section P (thanks @pontguy) that I was ok with going for it on 4th down in the red zone in the 1st quarter. I stand by that. I liked the aggressiveness then and now. Touchdowns beat Alabama, not FGs. We had a good script, as usual, but we only ended up with 7 points out of it, at most.
I did not like the decision to throw the ball on 1st down from the 14 with a minute to play and 2 TOs. I get Judkins may have been gassed. We ran 84 offensive plays, and only played 13 players on offense, counting Evans, more than 10 snaps, so they all were probably gassed. I thought an RRO or even a timeout might have been the better choice there. Let's say we make a play and score there. We make the PAT to go up 31-30. Alabama and Bryce Young will get the ball with over a minute left and 3 TOs. How do we HONESTLY think that movie will end? Using a timeout would have given us a chance to catch our collective breaths and package how we wanted to attack, score, and leave as little time as possible for them. Finally, back to my 1st statement, CLK, IMHO, tried to win the game as the play caller. Was this some type of audition? More on that in a minute.
Officiating
Yes, I am going to swing at this pitch in the dirt, hopefully briefly. Some of this will require reading between the lines.
I understand why Neal and others in his profession are wary of calling out horrendous officiating. He is not going to be at REBELGROVE forever. He wants to keep as many bridges open as possible. I get it. That said, I am not a journalist (thankfully), I have been associated with Ole Miss for more than the last decade, so I can and will comment.
I do not believe that there is some broad conspiracy to aid Alabama and/or Auburn. I used to believe that. I don't anymore. What I believe is, officials are humans with lives outside of officiating football games. These guys are almost always successful, influential, and prominent members of their respective communities/professions. They spend numerous hours each week studying film. They undergo rigorous training. They are graded and critiqued on each game. How do I know this? I have begun high school officiating this year as a way to stay connected to the game until I retire from the military in a few years. I am sure what we do pales in comparison from a preparation/accountability viewpoint.
So, what do I think? I think that personal thoughts and ideas, the human element, whether conscious or subconscious, is involved. Anyone who has watched the continuous, almost yearly "misses", both called and uncalled, that seem to always go in favor of Alabama and Auburn and dismiss it as an excuse or coincidence are just apologists. Remember, these guys have lives external to SEC football. They don't want to lose their livelihoods due to some overzealous fan/customer being ticked about a call against Alabama. That is why, IMHO, Alabama and Auburn always seem to get the call on the field. That gives them a 2/3 opportunity on replay. How they didn't see the targeting of Evans is above my ability to comprehend. What can be done about it? In the present system, not much honestly. Another conversation for another thread.
Distractions
Did the CLK/Auburn circus have any bearing on the game? I definitely think it did. I stated as much in my coaching bullet. CLK coached differently in this game. IMHO, he tried to win the game as the play caller. I think it may have been an attempt, most likely subconscious, to showcase his impact on Ole Miss beating Alabama. Honestly, I am tired of reading about it. I am tired of coming to this site and seeing all the threads about it, yet here I am talking about it.
CLK and Ole Miss are a perfect match. Everyone knows it. We love CLK as our coach. The potential for a NC in football is real with CLK at the helm. That is why every one of our opponents, namely those clad in maroon, is hoping...PRAYING... that yellow wood man comes through and makes us relive a Hollywood remake of Tuberville to Auburn. How far should we go to retain CLK? As far as possible and us still be able to compete in the NIL world, IMHO.
ADKC has shown he is willing to do things that other schools have not been willing to do to this point, like make the coach the brand, like make the family dog the unofficial mascot. From what I know, ADKC and CLK have a very good relationship. AU just hired Cohen. Does CLK really want to go to a school that is 2nd fiddle in their own state, to the tune of about 30/70 in Alabama, have the 2 toughest schools in the conference as your rivals, work with that bunch of love you today/destroy you/fire you tomorrow boosters, and an AD that his own alma mater was ready to see go? I honestly think not. I may be wrong. Either way, It is my hope that that drama doesn't find itself onto the gridiron on Saturday again, because I definitely think it was part of the drama Saturday. Again, I hope I have said enough to provoke reading between the lines. That is all.
Effort/Atomosphere
I thought our guys, to a man, laid it on the line Saturday. We played with tremendous effort. We blocked till the whistle. We ran to the ball and gang-tackled. We took several big hits and came back from nicks and bruises. We showed emotion numerous times. We had more than enough effort to win the game. I can't ask any more out of a team than what I witnessed Saturday. I am proud of them all.
The fans brought it too. It was the best VHS has been this season. Everyone in our section (P) was hollering on every play. The only thing that could have been better was for VHS to have been constructed more vertically to trap more noise. I am hoarse today. Great job by the fans as well.
Talent
A look at the talent composite for 2022 will show you that Alabama has 14 5-star players and 59 4-star players, for a total of 73 of 85. This is the most talented roster in college football. Georgia is next with 67 of 85. Ole Miss has 1 5-star (Evans) player and 23 4-star players, for a total of 24 of 85. This is the 22nd most talented roster in college football.
This brings up an interesting question: Do we need 70 players that are/were 4 and 5 stars to compete? The short answer is, no. We do need more than we have though. Only 11 can play at a time, but you have to have quality depth sprinkled throughout your 2-deep on both sides to maintain a high level of performance for 4 quarters against a talented team like Alabama. Our starters had to play abnormally high numbers of snaps (check the snap counts pinned post) in order to stay in the game. It was more than a coincidence that Alabama started having more success in the later stages of the game while our production fell off. The bottom Line, we got beat because Alabama had more quality depth on both sides of the ball than we did.
So, what is the magic number? I am a retired (for now) high school coach, so what I am about to type here is little more than an educated SWAG. I am thinking somewhere around 40 players that are/were 4/5 star types sprinkled equitably throughout your 2 deep is a good place to start. I honestly don't see Alabama being able to stack 3 and 4 deep talent like this moving forward in the new NIL world. If we want to be a player moving forward, we all need to do our part. Join the Grove Collective.
Coaching
CLK coached differently in this game than in any I have seen since he got to Ole Miss. When I was coaching, I always tried to remember that players, not plays, win games, to not try and win games as the play caller. That said, we ran numerous plays Saturday that had not been seen this year and attempted some "tricks for six"plays. Tricks for six is not normal for CLK.
I said at the time from my seat in section P (thanks @pontguy) that I was ok with going for it on 4th down in the red zone in the 1st quarter. I stand by that. I liked the aggressiveness then and now. Touchdowns beat Alabama, not FGs. We had a good script, as usual, but we only ended up with 7 points out of it, at most.
I did not like the decision to throw the ball on 1st down from the 14 with a minute to play and 2 TOs. I get Judkins may have been gassed. We ran 84 offensive plays, and only played 13 players on offense, counting Evans, more than 10 snaps, so they all were probably gassed. I thought an RRO or even a timeout might have been the better choice there. Let's say we make a play and score there. We make the PAT to go up 31-30. Alabama and Bryce Young will get the ball with over a minute left and 3 TOs. How do we HONESTLY think that movie will end? Using a timeout would have given us a chance to catch our collective breaths and package how we wanted to attack, score, and leave as little time as possible for them. Finally, back to my 1st statement, CLK, IMHO, tried to win the game as the play caller. Was this some type of audition? More on that in a minute.
Officiating
Yes, I am going to swing at this pitch in the dirt, hopefully briefly. Some of this will require reading between the lines.
I understand why Neal and others in his profession are wary of calling out horrendous officiating. He is not going to be at REBELGROVE forever. He wants to keep as many bridges open as possible. I get it. That said, I am not a journalist (thankfully), I have been associated with Ole Miss for more than the last decade, so I can and will comment.
I do not believe that there is some broad conspiracy to aid Alabama and/or Auburn. I used to believe that. I don't anymore. What I believe is, officials are humans with lives outside of officiating football games. These guys are almost always successful, influential, and prominent members of their respective communities/professions. They spend numerous hours each week studying film. They undergo rigorous training. They are graded and critiqued on each game. How do I know this? I have begun high school officiating this year as a way to stay connected to the game until I retire from the military in a few years. I am sure what we do pales in comparison from a preparation/accountability viewpoint.
So, what do I think? I think that personal thoughts and ideas, the human element, whether conscious or subconscious, is involved. Anyone who has watched the continuous, almost yearly "misses", both called and uncalled, that seem to always go in favor of Alabama and Auburn and dismiss it as an excuse or coincidence are just apologists. Remember, these guys have lives external to SEC football. They don't want to lose their livelihoods due to some overzealous fan/customer being ticked about a call against Alabama. That is why, IMHO, Alabama and Auburn always seem to get the call on the field. That gives them a 2/3 opportunity on replay. How they didn't see the targeting of Evans is above my ability to comprehend. What can be done about it? In the present system, not much honestly. Another conversation for another thread.
Distractions
Did the CLK/Auburn circus have any bearing on the game? I definitely think it did. I stated as much in my coaching bullet. CLK coached differently in this game. IMHO, he tried to win the game as the play caller. I think it may have been an attempt, most likely subconscious, to showcase his impact on Ole Miss beating Alabama. Honestly, I am tired of reading about it. I am tired of coming to this site and seeing all the threads about it, yet here I am talking about it.
CLK and Ole Miss are a perfect match. Everyone knows it. We love CLK as our coach. The potential for a NC in football is real with CLK at the helm. That is why every one of our opponents, namely those clad in maroon, is hoping...PRAYING... that yellow wood man comes through and makes us relive a Hollywood remake of Tuberville to Auburn. How far should we go to retain CLK? As far as possible and us still be able to compete in the NIL world, IMHO.
ADKC has shown he is willing to do things that other schools have not been willing to do to this point, like make the coach the brand, like make the family dog the unofficial mascot. From what I know, ADKC and CLK have a very good relationship. AU just hired Cohen. Does CLK really want to go to a school that is 2nd fiddle in their own state, to the tune of about 30/70 in Alabama, have the 2 toughest schools in the conference as your rivals, work with that bunch of love you today/destroy you/fire you tomorrow boosters, and an AD that his own alma mater was ready to see go? I honestly think not. I may be wrong. Either way, It is my hope that that drama doesn't find itself onto the gridiron on Saturday again, because I definitely think it was part of the drama Saturday. Again, I hope I have said enough to provoke reading between the lines. That is all.
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