Ole Miss suffered its first loss of the season Saturday in Baton Rouge, La., losing a 10-7 heartbreaker that cast the Rebels into the pool of one-loss contenders. Meanwhile, the college coaching carousel began to turn with vigor, the World Series is set to return to Kansas City and the NBA season is on tap. My thoughts on those topics and more, sponsored by Oxford-based RE/MAX agent Harry Alexander, follow here.
1. A day later, there is still plenty to dissect from LSU's 10-7 win over Ole Miss in raucous Tiger Stadium. Why did Hugh Freeze elect to go to tempo on fourth-and-1 from the LSU 47-yard line late in the fourth quarter? A possession later, how could the Rebels possibly get a delay of game penalty with nine seconds left and Gary Wunderlich on the field to presumably kick a 42-yard field goal that would have tied the game if it were successful? How does Bo Wallace ignore instructions and take a shot to the end zone with nine seconds left and kill the Rebels' chances at a Wunderlich kick? How does Laquon Treadwell catch but four passes? How does Ole Miss win the turnover battle 4-1 but still lose the game?
Those are all valid questions. We'll be debating them for weeks, if not months, if not years. However, I'm not sure those questions are more pressing than some others that won't receive as much ink or talk radio time.
For example, what happened to Ole Miss' offense in the third quarter? The Rebels first possession began at their own 2 and reached the LSU 43 before Freeze elected to send out the punt unit on fourth-and-1.
Will Gleeson's punt pinned LSU at the Tigers' 4, and three plays later, LSU's Jamie Keehn shanked a punt that went out of bounds at the Tigers' 34. Here was Ole Miss' chance to put a stranglehold on the contest. Instead, I'Tavius Mathers lost two yards on first down, Wallace lost two more on second down and then was sacked for a five-yard loss on third down. The opportunity was wasted. It would prove catastrophic.
Ole Miss' next possession netted minus-1 yard. The Rebels' first fourth-quarter possession also netted minus-1 yard. The next gained just seven yards and ended in another Gleeson punt, this one a 50-yarder that pinned LSU on its own 5.
Still, the damage was done. Ole Miss' defense, at least from my vantage point in the press box, looked gassed. Robert Nkemdiche was hurt. Denzel Nkemdiche was lost in the first half. Cody Prewitt went down in the fourth quarter. The Tigers marched 95 yards on 13 plays --- 12 of those on the ground --- to score what proved to be the game-winner.
Ole Miss got beat up on both sides of the line of scrimmage, but the Rebels' offensive line play was virtually non-existent. Ben Still (MCL) was badly missed, and then when Laremy Tunsil went out with a biceps injury in the third quarter (he eventually returned), the Rebels were abysmal up front. Wallace was Ole Miss' leading rusher with 40 yards on 12 carries. Mathers and Jaylen Walton combined to rush 20 times for 64 yards. Wallace was running for his life in the pocket, and it showed. He was just 14-for-33 for 176 yards, one touchdown and the one interception.
Evan Engram didn't catch a pass. Neither did Quincy Adeboyejo. Vince Sanders caught one for seven yards.
"Very frustrating," Wallace said. "Frustrating. I just think we didn't make the plays when we had to."
Ole Miss' defense gave up 406 yards on 71 plays in 36 minutes on the field. The Rebels forced four turnovers --- a potential fifth, a pick-6 dropped by linebacker Keith Lewis early in the fourth quarter, will haunt the Rebels for a long time --- and gave the offense plenty of chances to go win the game.
On Saturday, Ole Miss' offense simply couldn't do it. Yes, Tiger Stadium was loud. Wallace called it "the craziest place I've played." But as offensive guard Justin Bell said, "It's all on us."
Ole Miss' dreams are still intact, albeit far more fragile than before Saturday's loss. To right the proverbial ship, the Rebels' offense has to figure things out. Otherwise, dreams of a championship die soon.
2. Ole Miss can't do anything about LSU now. The Rebels instead have to turn their attention to Auburn, a top-five team with national title hopes of their own. Speaking of which, it bears repeating that Ole Miss still controls its own destiny. If the Rebels win out in their final four games, they are going to Atlanta to play Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Should the Rebels win there, they'll make the four-team College Football Playoff. The loss to LSU eliminated Ole Miss' margin for error. Nothing else.
Saturday's game against Auburn in Oxford is an elimination game The loser can forget a national title. The winner advances. It's that simple.
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn challenged Auburn's offense to get its edge back during the off-week. He wanted to see the Tigers come out and dominate the line of scrimmage and run the ball at will. The challenge was accepted. Auburn racked up 395 yards rushing in a 42-35 win over South Carolina at Jordan-Hare Stadium. It's the most for the Tigers since rushing for 545 against Missouri in last year's SEC Championship game.
"It's big. Coach Malzahn said we have to get our edge back and that's running the football. That's what we did," said wide receiver Ricardo Louis, who finished with 102 rushing yards.
Senior Cameron Artis-Payne was the workhorse of the offense with 167 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Quarterback Nick Marshall added 89 yard and freshman Roc Thomas 34 on eight carries.
"Coach Malzahn challenged us -- me, C.J., the offensive line -- to get back to Auburn, running the football. We came in with a mindset that we were going to run the football against them," tight end Brandon Fulse said.
Malzahn praised his entire offense after the game, particularly an offensive line that had struggled two weeks ago in a 38-23 loss at Mississippi State.
"Our offensive line did a very good job," Malzahn said. "We went into this thing feeling like we needed to run the ball. We thought we could have some success with the zone read, which we did, especially early. I thought our offensive line played well."
Ole Miss can't allow Auburn to replicate those numbers on Saturday night in Oxford if it wants to win and survive. The Rebels, by the way, are an early 2 1/2-point favorite.
3. Ole Miss' loss means there's a new No. 1 in my weekly SEC ranking. I can't decide how far the Rebels should fall. I'm guessing quite a bit.
1. Mississippi State --- Dak Prescott is a natural-born leader and Josh Robinson is a bowling ball. The Bulldogs' defense has problems, but so far, Prescott and Co. have overcome them with relative ease.
2. Alabama --- The Tide was sloppy in the second half in Knoxville. Complacency? The showdown with Mississippi State draws near.
3. Auburn --- The Tigers' offense is a machine. Their defense is average at best, but Gus Malzahn is a master play-caller with weapons at his disposal.
4. Georgia --- Quietly, the Bulldogs are very much in the national title hunt.
5. Ole Miss --- See Note No. 1. The Rebels' offense has struggled a bit since halftime in College Station. Now injuries are piling up.
6. LSU --- Give Les Miles credit. His team has an identity now. Could the Tigers knock off Alabama? I doubt it, but if they do, chaos ensues.
7. South Carolina --- The Gamecocks showed signs of life on the Plains. If they can build off that, there are wins to be had down the stretch.
8. Missouri --- The Tigers held off Vanderbilt and collected another win.
9. Kentucky --- Mike Stoops has done a remarkable job. The Wildcats went toe-to-toe with the nation's top-ranked team for 3 ½ quarters Saturday.
10. Arkansas --- Can the Razorbacks play the role of spoiler in November?
11. Texas A&M --- The Aggies spent the open date working on themselves. There was quite a to-do list.
12. Florida --- How bad is the SEC East? Two teams are below the Gators.
13. Tennessee --- Butch Jones really needs six wins this season to prove to recruits that the Vols are on the right track. There's not much margin for error.
14. Vanderbilt --- Nashville is such a nice city.
4. Here are my weekly bowl projections, with the same disclaimer. It's still too early to take these all that seriously.
Allstate Sugar Bowl --- Alabama
Rose Bowl --- Mississippi State
Discover Orange Bowl --- Georgia
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl --- Auburn
TaxSlayer.com Bowl --- South Carolina
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl --- Ole Miss
Outback Bowl --- LSU
Belk Bowl --- Kentucky
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl --- Missouri
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl --- Texas A&M
5. As SI.com wrote last week, it's time to start speculation season. The early focus, of course, is on likely openings at Michigan and Florida, where Brady Hoke and Will Muschamp, respectively, are in deep trouble.
At Florida, SI.com wrote, there is a perception that UF athletics director Jeremy Foley will tab former Gators offensive coordinator Dan Mullen as his next head coach. However, per SI.com, "It's much more complicated. It would be considered a major surprise if Foley even calls Mullen. Foley advised Mullen against taking the Mississippi State job when he left Florida in December 2008.
The two don't have a bad relationship, but its more neutral than chummy. Foley hiring Mullen would be an admission that he made a mistake in overlooking him last time. The Florida brass would also likely have to welcome back Mullen's co-offensive coordinators, Billy Gonzales and John Hevesy, neither of whom exited Florida on the greatest terms. Foley isn't itching for a tie to the Urban Meyer era, either. Some of this comes down to Foley's ego and whether he can swallow his pride. The guess from almost every corner is that Mullen won't get the job.
SI.com further speculates that Foley will make a run at Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and that he'll kick the tires on Freeze, though the magazine/site writes Foley "is plugged in enough to have concerns about reports that the NCAA is looking into the Rebels program." (Side note: National writers stick together, even when absolutely irresponsible and inaccurate reporting takes place.)
At Michigan, there is speculation that San Francisco 49ers coach/former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh will have an opportunity to turn the job down. However, SI.com, citing sources close to Harbaugh, reported that while a return to college hasn't been ruled out, it's unlikely.
LSU coach Les Miles, a former Michigan player, turns 61 next month. The odds of him leaving Baton Rouge for Ann Arbor are long. Mullen, SI.com reported, "will be atop Michigan's list, but don't rule out him staying in Starkville. The college football world is flatter than it used to be thanks to television money, as a program like Mississippi State wouldn't have been able to vault to No. 1 a decade ago. There's more stability, better leadership and snazzier facilities in Starkville than in Ann Arbor. Mullen is happy with what he's built there, and the SEC television money will allow Mississippi State to increase his $3 million-a-year salary. History says Mullen should leave, as there's a century worth of data that would nudge him to a higher-profile job. But there is also a chance he stays, which could encourage star quarterback Dak Prescott to return for his senior year."
Other thoughts from around college football:
A. Jimbo Fisher's image is being tarnished in the midst of Florida State's winning streak. His handling --- specifically, his defending and coddling --- of quarterback Jameis Winston is fast becoming a joke. As USA Today's Nancy Armour wrote recently, "Fisher's equally endless capacity to not only absolve his star quarterback but discount or belittle anyone who would dare hold him accountable has only served to embolden Winston. How can we expect Winston to realize that his actions have consequences when his own coach, the guy who is supposed to be the adult in the room, displays his own stunning immaturity?"
B. Ole Miss fell to No. 7 in the Associated Press poll Sunday. Like I said earlier, everything the Rebels ever fantasized about remains in play. There's just no more margin for mistakes.
C. Kliff Kingsbury is a handsome guy. Good thing for him. However, you can't help but wonder if his charisma and good looks landed him a lucrative contract extension earlier this season. It certainly wasn't his team's defense. TCU scored 82 points on the Red Raiders Saturday. 82!
D. Ohio State stayed alive in the playoff picture --- barely --- with a double-overtime win over Penn State. Two thoughts: Ohio State isn't a national title-caliber club. Also, James Franklin has the Nittany Lions playing inspired football in Year One. Vanderbilt's loss is Penn State's gain.
6. The SEC held its basketball media days in Charlotte, N.C., last week, essentially making the event an SEC Network function. I don't blame the league; it was difficult for media to justify traveling to Birmingham during the middle of football season to write about a hoops season that is still almost a month away. Anyway, the league's media picked Ole Miss to finish sixth in the league. CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish has pegged the Rebels to finish seventh. My opinion is Kentucky and Florida will be the class of the league. Then there's a middle group that includes Georgia, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU. Ole Miss could finish atop that group, at the bottom of it or anywhere in between.
Here's Parrish's explanation for picking the Rebels seventh. I can't say I agree or disagree with it. There are too many unknowns.
"The post-Marshall Henderson era at Ole Miss might be considerably calmer, with no major expected drop-off in wins, thanks to the ever-reliable senior guard Jarvis Summers. Were you too blinded by Henderson in these last two years? Jarvis Summers is only the SEC's active career leader in points and this year he has All-SEC potential. Senior forward Aaron Jones, the team's best shot blocker, will likely join Summers in the starting lineup along with some combination of the four veteran transfers Andy Kennedy brought to Oxford. Included in the group is Terence Smith, a guard from UT-Martin who hit 43.8 percent of his threes last season, and 5-10 guard Stefan Moody, the former Sun Belt Freshman of the Year at FAU arriving via junior college. Ole Miss is one of the most interesting teams in the SEC right now, but the selection committee doesn't pick based on intrigue (at least we hope not). It will take an impressive coaching job, or an insane year from Summers, to get this Rebels' team into the tournament." -- Parrish
7. The Seattle Seahawks are less than a half-season removed from a Super Bowl title, but there's reportedly great unrest inside Pete Carroll's program.
According to Yahoo.com, players were upset when wide receiver Percy Harvin was suddenly shipped to the Jets. There were stories of fights between Harvin and teammates, and a report of a near-fight between Harvin and quarterback Russell Wilson.
Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, a widely-respected national NFL reporter, compared the Harvin-Wilson split to the famous Donovan McNabb-Terrell Owens feud in Philadelphia, An unnamed Seahawks player told Freeman that "Harvin was an accelerant in a locker room that was quickly dividing between Wilson and anti-Wilson."
Freeman said the issue with some players is they seem to think Wilson is "too close to the front office," and that Wilson "doesn't always take the blame with teammates for mistakes he makes." Freeman also said, based on several interviews with Seahawks players, "that some of the black players think Wilson isn't black enough."
There was a report from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that an upset Marshawn Lynch didn't want to get on the team bus last Friday to fly to St. Louis after he heard about the Harvin trade, something Lynch's agent Doug Hendrickson vehemently denied on Twitter.
Other thoughts following another Sunday of NFL action:
A. The NFL is officially kicking the tires on the Los Angeles market. Beginning Tuesday, the league will begin a formal market assessment of the L.A. area, The Los Angeles Times reported late last week. The NFL will email questionnaires to about 2,000 potential customers to better gauge the demand for a team and what people want in terms of a stadium. The Times, citing an individual familiar with the survey but not authorized to discuss it publicly, reported the study is not site-specific, nor does it identify teams that are relocation candidates. The study will be conducted by the sports consulting firm Legends, which has worked with several NFL clubs on their stadiums, among them the San Francisco 49ers. The St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders are all on year-to-year leases and are unhappy with their current venues. All have expressed interest in the L.A. market, either publicly or privately, and last year Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased 60 acres of potential stadium land in Inglewood. Last week, Anschutz Entertainment Group secured a six-month extension of the Farmers Field agreement in hopes of attracting an NFL team or teams to play in a downtown stadium. The NFL is also evaluating two potential sites in Carson.
B. Wilson downplayed the story of dissension in the locker room following the Seahawks' 13-9 win in Charlotte Sunday. Still, it's very much worth watching, especially amid reports Sunday that Seattle and Lynch will likely part ways following the season.
C. Ben Roethlisberger threw for six touchdowns and 522 yards in the Steelers' win over the Colts Sunday, overshadowing Andrew Luck. Count Big Ben out at your own peril, I suppose.
D. J.J. Watt sacked Titans quarterback Zack Mettenberger twice Sunday during Houston's win and then scolded the former LSU quarterback for taking selfies recently. Mettenberger said he was merely having fun. Watt said he'd prefer the rookie quarterback take himself and his job more seriously.
E. One week after a devastating loss at Detroit, Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have first place in the NFC South division within their immediate grasp. Brees completed 27 of 32 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, New Orleans' defense produced big plays in the clutch and the Saints ended the Green Bay Packers' four-game winning streak, 44-23, on Sunday night. "It's been a long time coming," Brees told ESPN.com. "Obviously, we've had our fair share of struggles early on here. We've lost some heartbreakers. All we talked about all week long is just coming together as a team and playing a complete game as a team. ... It was a perfect representation of that." The Saints (3-4) face Carolina (3-4-1) in a battle for first place next week. Atlanta (2-6) and Tampa Bay (1-6) round out the rest of one of the NFL's most underachieving divisions.
8. Giants outfielder Juan Perez heard about Oscar Taveras' death during Game 5 of the World Series. He hit a two-run double in the eighth inning of San Francisco's 5-0 victory in Game 5 of the World Series and dedicated the hit to his fallen countryman.
"He's a really close friend of mine,'' Perez said. "I know his family pretty good, I know his mom, his dad, his brothers, we were really close. It's a huge loss for all his family, his teammates and the people that care about him."
Taveras, an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, died Sunday in an automobile accident in his native Dominican Republic. He was 22. Taveras was expected to compete for the Cardinals' right field post in the spring. His girlfriend, 18-year-old Edilia Arvelo, was also killed in the crash.
As for the series itself, it returns to Kansas City for Game 6 with the Giants within a win of a title. Good news for the Royals is they likely won't have to deal with San Francisco left-hander Madison Bumgarner, who followed his Game 1 win with a four-hit shutout of the Royals in Game 5.
The 25-year-old from Hickory, N.C., is now 4-0 in four World Series starts with a 0.29 ERA. He's allowed just 12 hits in 31 innings while striking out 27.
"He's special, isn't he?" Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. "What a stud."
Giants Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal mingled in the clubhouse Sunday night, waiting his turn to congratulate Bumgarner.
"He's so smooth," Marichal told ESPN.com. "I say that he's cold-blooded. When he's on the mound, he dominates everybody. Everybody."
8b. While the Giants and Royals prepared to play Game 3 Friday night in San Francisco, the talk of the baseball community was Joe Maddon and the Chicago Cubs.
Earlier Friday, Maddon exercised an option in his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays and opted out of his contract as the Rays' manager, making himself a free agent. Within minutes, gossip flowed that Maddon was headed to Chicago's north side. ESPN baseball reporter Buster Olney wrote, "In the offices of other teams, which is why Maddon as the leader of the North Siders is regarded as a fait accompli - and why rival officials fully expect the issue of tampering to come up before this plays out.
"Maddon is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the sport, and assuming that he lands with the Cubs, he will be one more elite piece to the growing monster that other teams see forming. A rival executive recalled the Sports Illustrated piece from the summer that declared the Houston Astros the champions of the 2017 World Series.
'I'd bet everything I have,' said the executive, 'that the Cubs will win a World Series before the Astros.'
"A bold statement about a team that will be working in the 107th season since it last won a championship. But everything the Cubs have been working for seems to be coming together. The ballpark renovation has started. A television deal is on the horizon. The Cubs are stacked with the best group of position prospects in baseball, at a time when the value of position players has climbed and the acquisition of pitching has become easier; with the decline in offense, the exchange rate of position players versus pitching has changed dramatically.
"The Cubs have incredible financial flexibility, because they signed Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo to team-friendly deals and only have one other major obligation --- two more years with Edwin Jackson. Rival evaluators fully expect they will land at least two of the many high-end pitchers who will be available in the market in the next 13 months, whether it be Jon Lester (a free agent this fall), or Wisconsin native Jordan Zimmermann (a free agent next fall), or Cole Hamels (a possible trade target), or David Price or Johnny Cueto or Jeff Samardzija, (all free agents in 2015), or Max Scherzer. In an offseason when some of the big-market teams, like the Phillies and Yankees, appear to be shying away from investment in the big free-agent pitching investments, the market may fall to the Cubs.
"Rizzo became a star in 2014; Castro bounced back and had a good season. Kris Bryant is regarded as the best prospect in baseball, and he is expected to arrive in the big leagues sometime in April. Addison Russell, the star prospect acquired for Samardzija, will soon be big league-ready. They might need catching, and if they choose, they could go after Russell Martin, who will be one of the best free agents on the market this winter.
"In the eyes of rival evaluators, the talent the Cubs are accumulating is staggering, and Maddon would add to that, as a proven high-end manager. Rick Renteria is under contract, yes, and if Maddon replaces him, some of his peers will sympathize with Renteria; he waited so many years for the chance to manage in the big leagues, and now he could be replaced after just one season.
"But the Cubs have a vision quest and it is playing out -- and Maddon appears to be a part of it."
9. Mike Conley isn't ashamed to admit he wants to make the All-Star Game. However, the Memphis Grizzlies' underrated point guard wants to win more.
"I'd be a liar if I said I didn't care about making the All-Star team. That would be the ultimate honor," Conley told NBA.com last week. "But I also understand the way things shake out, especially being in the West, there's a lot of good guys out there. I'm going to put myself in position, that's all I can do; just play well and do what's best for the team first. If we win games, we as individuals get noticed, and I think that's the biggest thing."
Last season, Conley averaged a career-best 17.2 points per game and still didn't make the all-star team on a year when Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant were out with injuries.
Some of Conley's problem, if you will, is style over substance. As NBA.com wrote, "While Conley steers Memphis' methodical, inside-out offense, he's watched Stephen Curry zoom to superstardom --- even beat out Paul as a starter last year --- and cold-blooded youngster Damian Lillard make the All-Star team as a reserve in his second season in the league. Knocking on the door is a long list of hopefuls: Ty Lawson, Suns teammates Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, plus Ricky Rubio and Jrue Holiday, an East All-Star two years ago. Not to mention four-time champ Tony Parker."
"It's fun to be in this era of basketball where there's so many great players, so many great guards, especially in the West where I get to play against them four times a year," Conley said. "Every night you have your hands full no matter who you're playing. That goes across the board. Every night you're playing against a top-notch guard or a top-notch-caliber player, so you have to have your mind right, be focused and be on your best game."
Conley's best bet at individual acclaim is leading Memphis to a fast start in the loaded Western Conference.
"We're going to be a team that people are going to hate to face, and have a chance to be considered as one of the teams contending for a title," Conley told NBA.com. "Going into the end of (last) year we started finally playing our basketball. We fought our way back into the playoffs and feel like we're still on the up-and-up from that last run that we had."
There finally does appear to be a calm and optimism in Memphis. Zach Randolph, suspended for last year's first-round Game 7 loss to Oklahoma City, received the extension he wanted. Vince Carter was signed to knock down 3-pointers and Quincy Pondexter, injured almost all of last season after starting to emerge in the 2013 postseason, is a key returnee around an ego-free core that's come of age together.
With the NBA season beginning this week, here are my preseason picks:
Eastern Conference playoff teams:
1. Chicago Bulls
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Toronto Raptors
4. Washington Wizards
5. Miami Heat
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Charlotte Bobcats
8. Brooklyn Nets
Western Conference playoff teams:
1. Los Angeles Clippers
2. Golden State Warriors
3. Memphis Grizzlies
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Houston Rockets
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
7. Portland Trailblazers
8. Dallas Mavericks
NBA Finals: Los Angeles Clippers over Cleveland in 7 games.
MVP: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Coach of the Year: Dave Joerger, Memphis Grizzlies
Rookie of the Year: Julius Randle, Los Angeles Lakers
10. There is no sound in space detectable to the human ear. The only vibrations that survive the vacuum of space are electromagnetic waves.NASA has found a way to hear them. Using a "plasma wave antenna" to record vibrations within 20 to 20,000 hertz, the range of human hearing, NASA has captured the actual sounds of our planets. As Esquire.com wrote last week, "It should come as no surprise that our Solar System sounds more majestic than any sci-fi director could fabricate.
"Like waves crashing on the beach, thunder rolling across the heavens, or wind whistling through a canyon, the sounds of our planets are majestic and chillingly perfect. Warning: when it hits you that this is real, you might just cry a little unexpectedly. We won't tell anyone.
"To put these larger-than-life sounds in perspective, our Solar System is centered around one of over 200 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, and our galaxy is just one of over one hundred billion in the universe. Behold, the hums and glows of our huge yet miniscule patch of territory."
I've linked the story for you. The audio file is worth listening to. It is majestic.
Sounds of Space
