It’s on now. Ole Miss is in the driver’s seat in the SEC West and a legitimate national title contender following its 43-37 win at Alabama Saturday night/Sunday morning. Chad Kelly introduced himself to the SEC and maybe the Heisman race with an incredible performance. The Laremy Tunsil Watch is still on, and the Rebels might need him soon up front. Thoughts on those topics, bowl projections, SEC rankings and much more follow here in 10 Weekend Thoughts, presented by Oxford-based RE/MAX agent Harry Alexander.
1. There were a lot of impressive things that happened in Ole Miss’ 43-37 win at Alabama Saturday night. Chad Kelly emerged as perhaps the SEC’s best quarterback. Laquon Treadwell was electric. Young offensive linemen stepped up in a difficult situation and did enough. Robert Nkemdiche was dominant. Trae Elston continued to turn heads. Gary Wunderlich was perfect.
However, what stuck out to me was Ole Miss’ behavior. The Rebels had a businesslike approach that I believe will bode them well as this season progresses.
“My pregame was as short as it’s ever been,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “I just told them, ‘You’re good enough to win. You don’t have to do anything special. You don’t have to be anything you’re not. Let’s go be who we are and see if it’s good enough.’”
The game, as Freeze said, was “an emotional roller coaster.” Still, when it ended, Ole Miss didn’t act like it had just upset the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Instead, the Rebels walked off the field, shook hands and acted like they’d been there before.
A year ago, the Rebels were jubilant. There were tears of joy on the field. I’m not criticizing, mind you; I get it. However, that team got way too high way too soon and couldn’t manage the momentum and adversity that comes with the grind of a championship hunt. This one, I believe, can and will.
There are tough games ahead. That Oct. 3 date at Florida could be a real test, depending on what the Gators do Saturday against Tennessee. Texas A&M comes to Oxford on Oct. 24, and the Aggies could be 6-0 or 5-1 when they make the trip east. In other words, Ole Miss will have to keep improving, and Freeze said as much early Sunday morning.
“The great thing about it is we can improve so much from this,” Freeze said. “There’s so many things we could’ve done better (Saturday night). If our kids will stay hungry with the right demeanor and stay humble, I know we can get a lot better than we played (at Alabama).”
2. A year ago, Ole Miss’ win over Alabama sort of shocked the college football world. This time, not so much, and that’s as big of a statement Freeze can make in Year 4 of his tenure at Ole Miss.
“We certainly think that we are at a point now where it’s not a shock,” Freeze said. “I still say it’d be an upset in most people’s eyes to do it here. I don’t think it’s been done two years in a row maybe ever, so it’s a surprise to a lot of people. I don’t think it surprises the people in our locker room.”
If you weren’t in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday night, it’s hard to completely put the Rebels’ win in perspective. Give credit to Alabama; the Tide has created a phenomenal environment. Twice Saturday, it felt like momentum had shifted to Alabama to a point where there was no stopping it. Twice, Ole Miss did. A less mature team would have folded.
The Rebels looked all grown up on Saturday night. They handled severe adversity in a hostile environment in front of 100,000 fans trying to will Alabama to a comeback. It was heady stuff.
3. Other quick observations from Ole Miss 43, Alabama 37:
A. LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Georgia’s Nick Chubb would certainly be ahead of him as of today, but Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly just might be putting the opening touches on a Heisman Trophy run. Kelly was remarkable on Saturday, never once looking rattled against an intimidating front seven and in a venue that was not friendly on the eardrums. Freeze said afterwards that Kelly locked in one receiver a few times and the decision to throw the ball that ended up with Quincy Adeboyejo scoring a touchdown was not a good one. However, Kelly has that “it” factor; you know it when you see it, and we all saw it in Tuscaloosa.
B. Robert Nkemdiche wasn’t blockable Saturday night. The only thing that could stop Ole Miss’ junior defensive tackle was Mother Nature. Humidity sapped Nkemdiche in the second half, and he had to go to the locker room to get an I.V. drip. However, he might be the best defensive lineman in the country, and he certainly made his case on Saturday night. “Maybe the first time I saw him finish plays when he had the opportunity to,” Freeze said.
C. Trae Elston picked up his third interception, setting up a first-half touchdown. That’s three for Elston this season. It had to be sweet for the Alabama native to get a win in his home state. He’ll try to get one more on Oct. 31 at Auburn. His pro stock is soaring.
D. Jordan Wilkins had a breakout night of sorts. He had success getting to the edge at times against Alabama, giving Ole Miss just enough balance to be effective.
E. Robert Conyers played hurt, but his presence was a game-saver for Ole Miss. Conyers has quietly emerged as a guy NFL scouts are keeping an eye on. His length gives him value at center, and he has the intelligence and motor that can’t be coached.
F. Kendarius Webster had a huge night. We spent the offseason talking about Tony Bridges and Tee Shepard, but Webster just might be the Rebels’ best cover corner. When he went out briefly with a stinger after tackling Derrick Henry, Alabama picked on Carlos Davis and then Kailo Moore. When Webster returned, Ole Miss’ pass defense settled down.
4. Personally, I abhor covering late-night games. Ole Miss-Alabama didn’t get to halftime before 10 p.m., and the game didn’t end until around 12:30 a.m. That seems, to me, ridiculous. However, I appear to be in the minority.
Ole Miss-Alabama earned a 4.6 overnight rating, up 254 percent to the comparable TV window from 2014 (USC at Boston College) and the third-highest overnight of the 2015 season across all networks.
The game was WatchESPN’s most-streamed college football game of the week and product’s second-most streamed regular season college football game ever. According to ESPN, the game featured an average of 128,000 users and 615,000 unique viewers. The stream was up 485 percent in average minute audience and 666 percent in live minutes viewed compared to last year’s similar window (USC at Boston College).
5. Laremy Tunsil didn’t play Saturday at Alabama, and Ole Miss made no statement regarding his eligibility. At some point _ personally, I think we’re there _ the school owes its season ticket holders and fans some sort of an update regarding Tunsil’s status, including a timetable for his return, if there is one.
Unless there’s more to this than a loaner car from Cannon Motors that Tunsil kept too long, I’m not sure I understand the hold-up. According to people in the automotive industry, there would be no stated value listed.
More importantly, I’m surprised Ole Miss isn’t fighting the NCAA a bit more publicly. Again, I’ll freely admit that it’s quite possible I don’t know everything, but I wonder what’s up for such debate. Are the two sides fighting over the value of the loaner vehicle? Is Ole Miss concerned due to the technically ongoing nature of the NCAA inquiry into its women’s basketball program?
Here’s what I do know: Ole Miss, with Laremy Tunsil, is a team that could win a national title. Also, playing nice with the NCAA, or organization of questionable repute, rarely seems to work.
Finally, the NCAA isn’t popular in the eyes of the public. People generally feel the kids are exploited, at least in part, and deserve to be compensated, at least some. Ole Miss and the SEC could turn up the heat on the NCAA as it pertains to Tunsil, especially now that the Rebels are very much in the national spotlight.
Again, maybe there’s more to the story. It’s just starting to feel strange.
6. Here’s my still-really-early SEC weekly rankings:
1. Ole Miss – The Rebels score points at will and won at Alabama. Their most difficult remaining games _ Texas A&M and LSU _ are in Oxford, presumably with Tunsil on the field.
2. LSU – The Tigers destroyed Auburn and made Gus Malzahn and Co. like it. Les Miles has an athletic team that seems to be developing a unique personality.
3. Georgia – Grayson Lambert was absolutely terrific against South Carolina. If the Bulldogs get that sort of quarterback play, they’re a national title contender.
4. Alabama – The Tide has its work cut out for it, having trips to Georgia and Texas A&M in the next four weeks.
5. Texas A&M – The jury remains out, but the Aggies appear to be dangerous.
6. Florida -- ???? I don’t know. The falloff appears to start here. Jim McElwain’s team is 3-0, though, so there’s that. Tennessee comes calling Saturday.
7. Missouri – The Tigers are 3-0, too, but man oh man, does it look shaky? A 9-6 win over Connecticut didn’t inspire confidence.
8. Mississippi State – That narrow loss to LSU looks a lot better now. The Bulldogs go to Auburn Saturday. The loser is toast.
9. Kentucky – Again, man, we’re just guessing now. Mark Stoops’ team had a chance to make a statement against Florida and just couldn’t get it done.
10. Tennessee – The Vols aren’t back, but they can help themselves quite a bit in Gainesville Saturday.
11. Auburn – The Tigers are lucky to be 2-1. They should be 1-2, 0-3 even. A loss to Mississippi State would be borderline catastrophic.
12. Arkansas – Kliff Kingsbury stripped Bret Bielema of his manhood, all while wearing a little flower on his jacket. Cold.
13. Vanderbilt – Hey, the ‘Dores are climbing!
14. South Carolina – This must have been what it felt like to watch Secretariat get old.
7. My second installment this year of way too early bowl predictions:
Capital One Orange Bowl (College Football Playoffs semifinals) – Ole Miss
Allstate Sugar Bowl – LSU
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl – Georgia
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl – Alabama
Outback Bowl – Texas A&M
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – Florida
Taxslayer Bowl – Tennessee
Autozone Liberty Bowl – Missouri
Advocare V100 Texas Bowl – Arkansas
Belk Bowl – Kentucky
Birmingham Bowl – Mississippi State
Independence Bowl – Auburn
8. Former Ole Miss star Chris Coghlan was involved in a play earlier this week in Pittsburgh that could end up changing the way baseball is played.
The Chicago Cubs’ outfielder was sliding into second base to break up a double play attempt. He ended up colliding with Pirates shortstop Jung Ho Kang, and Kang suffered season-ending leg and knee injuries.
The play has reignited the debate about the slide into second base on double-play balls as well as baseball’s neighborhood play.
http://triblive.com/mobile/9115656-96/kang-hurdle-base
9. I like Bret Bielema. He’s funny. He’s easy to write about. However, Bielema talks a lot of trash, and people get sick of people talking trash. Kliff Kingsbury is one of those people, and the Texas Tech coach got a chance to do something about it on Saturday in Fayetteville.
Afterwards, Kingsbury gave Bielema a taste of his own medicine, just ripping him apart in his postgame press conference interview.
http://www.si.com/college-football/...s-kliff-kingsbury-brett-bielema?xid=si_social
10. Justin Schmidt won a Nobel Prize for his role in charting how painful insect stings are. Schmidt got stung everywhere. Literally, everywhere.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/...es-2015?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email
Here are some other links of interest to me (and hopefully, to you):
Why war reporter C.J. Chivers came home.
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a37838/end-of-war-1015/
How the NFL convinced prosecutors to give them (and no one else) the Greg Hardy photos.
http://deadspin.com/how-the-nfl-con...source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
Health and luck: What the Thunder need to win an NBA title.
http://www.si.com/cauldron/2015/09/...vin-durant-russell-westbrook-nba-championship
Life is good for David Price, and it’s about to get better.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/09/17/david-price-blue-jays-cy-young-award/32550827/
Preventing injuries is the holy grail in sports, and the NBA is leaning towards using wearable technology.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/f...ng-toward-wearable-tech/?ex_cid=story-twitter
Is Major League Baseball’s wildcard system fair? Ken Rosenthal explored that question.
http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a...ld-card-game-pittsburgh-pirates-unfair-091715
The search for Noah Syndergaard’s Viking roots.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/2...ollection=Sports&pgtype=article&_r=1&referrer=
Have a great week.
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