Ole Miss improved to 2-0, moved into the Associated Press Top 25 and turned its attention to Texas over the weekend.
Speaking of the Longhorns, there's plenty of drama in Austin following a blowout loss to Brigham Young in Provo late Saturday.
Throw in the start of the NFL season and there was plenty to dissect and discuss from the weekend that was.
1. Ole Miss honored Archie Manning Friday night, renaming the IPF the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center prior to the screening of the soon-to-be-released ESPN Films documentary, "The Book of Manning," at the Ford Center. Ole Miss rolled out the red carpet (literally) and used the documentary screening to cap a day full of announcements on facilities plans and a subtly-issued $10 million challenge regarding the planned multi-purpose arena that athletics director Ross Bjork hopes to open in January 2016. The day was a really good one for Ole Miss athletics, one that I couldn't have envisioned when I started on this beat five years ago. What I found most interesting and refreshing was the transparency of Friday's announcements. There wasn't much vague about the need for the $10 million by Nov. 1 if Ole Miss is going to get the arena built on Bjork's proposed timetable ? the start of SEC play in the 2015-16 basketball season. Bjork made that clear without sounding threatening. There appeared to be room for maneuverability left for the renovation of the north end zone of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. In short, it had to be an exciting day for Ole Miss fans, many of who could have been forgiven for wondering over the past few decades if the athletics department was truly serious about competing in the SEC. It's clear those doubts have now been silenced.
2. Speaking of transparency, Hugh Freeze's post-game press conference Saturday was absolutely chock full of transparency. For the better part of eight minutes, the second-year Ole Miss coach was completely frank and open as he answered questions about his team and his program following a 31-13 win over Southeast Missouri. Freeze admitted that the Rebels' depth chart "doesn't look like an SEC depth chart yet," adding that he believes Ole Miss "is getting there."
Kudos to Freeze. Maybe the guy failed to take or just failed Coachspeak 101, but more coaches should take note. Tell fans the truth. It's the best way to manage the message. Just keep it real. Freeze pointed out he and his staff had only signed one recruiting class (transition classes really can't be held against an incoming coach; new staffs are behind the 8-ball from the get-go), but he was emphatic in saying Ole Miss is "going to get there, but yeah, we've got some depth issues."
Fans struggle with the concept of patience. That's understandable. Knowing what you want, feeling it's close and then accepting that it's going to take some time to get it is difficult. Still, Freeze is doing his level best to keep fans realistic all the while fueling hope, saying he thinks this team is capable of "shocking" some opponents before the year is over. What makes the message more compelling is Freeze isn't a spinner. He's genuine. That's what he believes.
3. Things aren't as chipper in Austin, not after Texas was mauled at BYU Saturday night, a loss that cost defensive coordinator Manny Diaz his job less than 24 hours later, a development first reported by Orangebloods.com, part of the Rivals.com network. According to Orangebloods, Texas coach Mack Brown is turning to Greg Robinson, who served as Texas defensive coordinator in 2004 and who had been working for UT as a football analyst this season.
Part of Robinson's work as an analyst for Texas has been to scout opponents and make suggestions about possible game plans.
A source close to the situation told Orangebloods.com Robinson's suggested game plan for BYU was to put 8 and 9 defenders in the box, play man coverage on the outside and dare BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, a much better runner than passer, to beat Texas through the air.
One of the biggest problems against BYU - in addition to Diaz basically playing a 4-2-5 scheme (this is what Texas opened in) and even a 5-1-5 scheme - was that the defensive line continued to shoot gaps instead of a base, read-and-react, gap control defense.
So when BYU would slant its offensive line to the left or right, and the Cougars did that a lot, it allowed BYU to get the Texas front flowing in one direction. Then, BYU would counter or cut back with Hill or a running back in the opposite direction with nothing but open field.
This is the same stuff that got Diaz's D in trouble last year. His D-linemen needed to hold their ground, engage blocks and shed blocks to protect their gaps. Instead, they were out of position all night.
Last night, Texas needed a solid base defense with an eight- or nine-man box and man coverage on the outside while daring Tysom Hill to throw. That didn't happen.
"Our performance on defense last night was unacceptable, and we need to change that," Mack Brown said in a statement. "Greg will be here tonight and get with the staff and players to start preparing for Ole Miss.
"He will be running our defense immediately. We're very fortunate that Greg has been around, watched all of our practice video and has a good scouting report moving forward.
"His familiarity with the staff and players should make for a smooth transition. He knows this place, did a terrific job in leading our defense before, and I'm excited to have him back on the field. We're back at it and working hard to beat Ole Miss this weekend."
Brown's choice of Robinson is being criticized in some circles because Robinson was fired from his last two jobs as head coach at Syracuse and as the defensive coordinator at Michigan under Rich Rodriguez.
But Robinson and Mack Brown worked well together at Texas in 2004, when the defense gave up a respectable 17.9 points per game and 107.4 yards per game on the ground (with an average of 3.2 ypc to opponents).
Some of Robinson's best work that season came in a 12-0 loss to Oklahoma, when Robinson led a fiery, impassioned effort against an explosive OU offense an held the Sooners to 12 points despite a couple short fields created by turnovers from the Texas offense.
Robinson also devised a game plan that befuddled a talented Texas Tech offense in a 51-21 victory that season.
"This is a tough deal for everyone involved, but I love The University of Texas, and Coach Brown has been wonderful to me," Robinson said. "I'll do anything I can to help him, so when he called, I told him I'd be there today. I know the staff, have a lot of respect for them and am excited for the challenge moving forward.
"I've been around the team a lot, watched all of their film and have been self-scouting and scouting opponents since I came on board in July. Because of Longhorn Network, I've also been able to see these guys for two to three years and am very familiar with the personnel."
4. Orangebloods.com's Chip Brown, who doubles as the host of an Austin-based radio talk show, asked one tough question after another of Brown following the Longhorns loss in Provo. Every question was fair. Every question was timely. None were asked with malice. The Texas coach grew weary of the interrogation, and his impatience showed. The scenario isn't as easy as fans believe. Reporters don't enjoy asking people about their jobs, but their readers want those answers. Reporters who can't muster the courage to ask the tough questions are viewed as weak. Those who do are attacked, all the while ruining relationships that took years to develop.
Chip Brown. That isn't easy.
5. Will Muschamp's loss at Miami Saturday felt big. In his third year at Florida, the Gators are tremendous on defense and simply awful on offense. It's difficult to understand how a team based in the Sunshine State with Florida's resources could be so inept on the offensive side of the ball. It's hard to believe Florida will be overly patient with Muschamp if his ability to win on a national level is placed in doubt. Right now, Georgia and South Carolina appear to be ahead of the Gators in the SEC East, and Vanderbilt and possibly Tennessee don't seem to be too far behind.
6. Speaking of big losses, South Carolina likely cost itself a chance at national title contention Saturday at Georgia. The Bulldogs scored at will against Jadeveon Clowney and the Gamecocks, while South Carolina's offense couldn't match Aaron Murray and Co. score for score. Prior to the season, this felt like Steve Spurrier's best chance to win an SEC title at South Carolina. Now the Gamecocks need Georgia to lose twice, all the while trying to find a way to keep an openly critical Clowney happy.
7. Mississippi State travels to Auburn Saturday, a seven-point underdog in need of a win to build on. If the Bulldogs can win on the Plains, the undercurrent of criticism being levied on coach Dan Mullen will be temporarily silenced. If Auburn improves to 3-0 under Gus Malzahn at the Bulldogs' expense, however, the percussion will get much louder. Mississippi State's second half of the season is brutal. If the Bulldogs are going to reclaim the momentum they had in the first two months of 2012, it likely begins Saturday.
8. Alabama gets its chance at revenge against Texas A&M, Saturday in College Station. Forget the obvious storylines --Johnny Manziel's chance to establish himself as a leading Heisman candidate again, Nick Saban's chance to reveal a gameplan that has likely been in the formulation stages for at least eight months, the battle for SEC West supremacy, etc. What is truly significant Saturday is that three nationally ranked teams are playing in games in College Station and Austin and none of them wear burnt orange. Once again, Texas is on the undercard, a scenario unthinkable not so long ago. The Texas decision-makers spurned advances from the SEC, and two years later, they appear to have made a potentially catastrophic mistake. Suddenly, the Longhorns aren't the hot, sexy commodity they were just a few short years ago. Texas A&M, meanwhile, is. Prospects all over the country, including in the Lone Star State, are enamored by the idea of playing in the SEC. Had Texas joined the league, it would undoubtedly be a major national power today. Instead, Texas seems to be scrambling, searching for an identity at an incredibly inopportune time.
9. Breaking: The NFL is king. Sunday showed why. New Orleans held off Atlanta in dramatic fashion. The Jets somehow defeated Tampa Bay. San Francisco defeated Green Bay in a battle of NFC powers. Chicago held off Cincinnati, Tennessee won at Pittsburgh and the upstart Rams won at home against Arizona. One game after another was decided in the final minutes. Market size doesn't seem to matter. Scandal has no impact. The names and faces change, but the league continues to dominate the marketplace. Every fan base (except Jacksonville, which is hopeless) harbors realistic expectations of a playoff run. Here's proof: Out of the last 25 NFL underdogs of eight points of more, 23 have covered the spread, including the Buffalo Bills, who on Sunday lost 23-21 to New England despite taking the field as nine-point underdogs.
10. As a promise to my colleague Chase Parham, I started the "Breaking Bad" series last month. I'm eight episodes into Season One, and while the show's writing is fantastic, the show is dark and heavy. I can't watch more than an hour at a time without needing a break. Every Sunday, however, I have to avoid Twitter like the plague, knowing that many of my followers and the people I follow are tweeting about the latest episode. The temptation to read the Cliff's Notes of the first few seasons is almost insurmountable. When one person after another refers to the latest episode as the greatest show in television history, it's remarkably difficult to remain disciplined enough to resist the temptation to see what they're talking about and fill in the blanks later.
11. Here's a bonus thought: Ole Miss' athletics department started a new Twitter account last week. If you're interested in the business of intercollegiate athletics and the finances of Ole Miss athletics, you should follow @rebelsportsbiz on Twitter. In less than a week, the account has provided information regarding Ole Miss' athletic budget for 2013-14 ($70.5 million), specific information regarding line-by-line budget items in said budget, detailed the exact value of a football scholarship ($17,126 for an in-state scholarship, $28,094 for a non-resident scholarship), let fans know how much Ole Miss' three non-conference opponents will receive in guarantees ($2.1 million) and answered a nosy reporter's Twitter questions (name withheld out of embarrassment) on a Sunday morning regarding medical expenses and catastrophic injury insurance. It's another example of transparency and a seemingly eagerness to connect and communicate with a fan base.
12. What prompted that unnamed reporter's interest in catastrophic injuries was an ESPN story on Tulane defensive back Devon Walker, who suffered two broken vertebrae and paralysis in the Green Wave's loss at Tulsa last September. Bless that young man's heart, and bless his mother's, too. Every day, she spends two hours getting her once strong, strapping son ready to sit up enough to watch television. Doctors and scientists have produced so many medical miracles. Added to my list of prayers is the hope that some brilliant doctor or group of doctors one day find a way to reverse paralysis.
Speaking of the Longhorns, there's plenty of drama in Austin following a blowout loss to Brigham Young in Provo late Saturday.
Throw in the start of the NFL season and there was plenty to dissect and discuss from the weekend that was.
1. Ole Miss honored Archie Manning Friday night, renaming the IPF the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center prior to the screening of the soon-to-be-released ESPN Films documentary, "The Book of Manning," at the Ford Center. Ole Miss rolled out the red carpet (literally) and used the documentary screening to cap a day full of announcements on facilities plans and a subtly-issued $10 million challenge regarding the planned multi-purpose arena that athletics director Ross Bjork hopes to open in January 2016. The day was a really good one for Ole Miss athletics, one that I couldn't have envisioned when I started on this beat five years ago. What I found most interesting and refreshing was the transparency of Friday's announcements. There wasn't much vague about the need for the $10 million by Nov. 1 if Ole Miss is going to get the arena built on Bjork's proposed timetable ? the start of SEC play in the 2015-16 basketball season. Bjork made that clear without sounding threatening. There appeared to be room for maneuverability left for the renovation of the north end zone of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. In short, it had to be an exciting day for Ole Miss fans, many of who could have been forgiven for wondering over the past few decades if the athletics department was truly serious about competing in the SEC. It's clear those doubts have now been silenced.
2. Speaking of transparency, Hugh Freeze's post-game press conference Saturday was absolutely chock full of transparency. For the better part of eight minutes, the second-year Ole Miss coach was completely frank and open as he answered questions about his team and his program following a 31-13 win over Southeast Missouri. Freeze admitted that the Rebels' depth chart "doesn't look like an SEC depth chart yet," adding that he believes Ole Miss "is getting there."
Kudos to Freeze. Maybe the guy failed to take or just failed Coachspeak 101, but more coaches should take note. Tell fans the truth. It's the best way to manage the message. Just keep it real. Freeze pointed out he and his staff had only signed one recruiting class (transition classes really can't be held against an incoming coach; new staffs are behind the 8-ball from the get-go), but he was emphatic in saying Ole Miss is "going to get there, but yeah, we've got some depth issues."
Fans struggle with the concept of patience. That's understandable. Knowing what you want, feeling it's close and then accepting that it's going to take some time to get it is difficult. Still, Freeze is doing his level best to keep fans realistic all the while fueling hope, saying he thinks this team is capable of "shocking" some opponents before the year is over. What makes the message more compelling is Freeze isn't a spinner. He's genuine. That's what he believes.
3. Things aren't as chipper in Austin, not after Texas was mauled at BYU Saturday night, a loss that cost defensive coordinator Manny Diaz his job less than 24 hours later, a development first reported by Orangebloods.com, part of the Rivals.com network. According to Orangebloods, Texas coach Mack Brown is turning to Greg Robinson, who served as Texas defensive coordinator in 2004 and who had been working for UT as a football analyst this season.
Part of Robinson's work as an analyst for Texas has been to scout opponents and make suggestions about possible game plans.
A source close to the situation told Orangebloods.com Robinson's suggested game plan for BYU was to put 8 and 9 defenders in the box, play man coverage on the outside and dare BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, a much better runner than passer, to beat Texas through the air.
One of the biggest problems against BYU - in addition to Diaz basically playing a 4-2-5 scheme (this is what Texas opened in) and even a 5-1-5 scheme - was that the defensive line continued to shoot gaps instead of a base, read-and-react, gap control defense.
So when BYU would slant its offensive line to the left or right, and the Cougars did that a lot, it allowed BYU to get the Texas front flowing in one direction. Then, BYU would counter or cut back with Hill or a running back in the opposite direction with nothing but open field.
This is the same stuff that got Diaz's D in trouble last year. His D-linemen needed to hold their ground, engage blocks and shed blocks to protect their gaps. Instead, they were out of position all night.
Last night, Texas needed a solid base defense with an eight- or nine-man box and man coverage on the outside while daring Tysom Hill to throw. That didn't happen.
"Our performance on defense last night was unacceptable, and we need to change that," Mack Brown said in a statement. "Greg will be here tonight and get with the staff and players to start preparing for Ole Miss.
"He will be running our defense immediately. We're very fortunate that Greg has been around, watched all of our practice video and has a good scouting report moving forward.
"His familiarity with the staff and players should make for a smooth transition. He knows this place, did a terrific job in leading our defense before, and I'm excited to have him back on the field. We're back at it and working hard to beat Ole Miss this weekend."
Brown's choice of Robinson is being criticized in some circles because Robinson was fired from his last two jobs as head coach at Syracuse and as the defensive coordinator at Michigan under Rich Rodriguez.
But Robinson and Mack Brown worked well together at Texas in 2004, when the defense gave up a respectable 17.9 points per game and 107.4 yards per game on the ground (with an average of 3.2 ypc to opponents).
Some of Robinson's best work that season came in a 12-0 loss to Oklahoma, when Robinson led a fiery, impassioned effort against an explosive OU offense an held the Sooners to 12 points despite a couple short fields created by turnovers from the Texas offense.
Robinson also devised a game plan that befuddled a talented Texas Tech offense in a 51-21 victory that season.
"This is a tough deal for everyone involved, but I love The University of Texas, and Coach Brown has been wonderful to me," Robinson said. "I'll do anything I can to help him, so when he called, I told him I'd be there today. I know the staff, have a lot of respect for them and am excited for the challenge moving forward.
"I've been around the team a lot, watched all of their film and have been self-scouting and scouting opponents since I came on board in July. Because of Longhorn Network, I've also been able to see these guys for two to three years and am very familiar with the personnel."
4. Orangebloods.com's Chip Brown, who doubles as the host of an Austin-based radio talk show, asked one tough question after another of Brown following the Longhorns loss in Provo. Every question was fair. Every question was timely. None were asked with malice. The Texas coach grew weary of the interrogation, and his impatience showed. The scenario isn't as easy as fans believe. Reporters don't enjoy asking people about their jobs, but their readers want those answers. Reporters who can't muster the courage to ask the tough questions are viewed as weak. Those who do are attacked, all the while ruining relationships that took years to develop.
Chip Brown. That isn't easy.
5. Will Muschamp's loss at Miami Saturday felt big. In his third year at Florida, the Gators are tremendous on defense and simply awful on offense. It's difficult to understand how a team based in the Sunshine State with Florida's resources could be so inept on the offensive side of the ball. It's hard to believe Florida will be overly patient with Muschamp if his ability to win on a national level is placed in doubt. Right now, Georgia and South Carolina appear to be ahead of the Gators in the SEC East, and Vanderbilt and possibly Tennessee don't seem to be too far behind.
6. Speaking of big losses, South Carolina likely cost itself a chance at national title contention Saturday at Georgia. The Bulldogs scored at will against Jadeveon Clowney and the Gamecocks, while South Carolina's offense couldn't match Aaron Murray and Co. score for score. Prior to the season, this felt like Steve Spurrier's best chance to win an SEC title at South Carolina. Now the Gamecocks need Georgia to lose twice, all the while trying to find a way to keep an openly critical Clowney happy.
7. Mississippi State travels to Auburn Saturday, a seven-point underdog in need of a win to build on. If the Bulldogs can win on the Plains, the undercurrent of criticism being levied on coach Dan Mullen will be temporarily silenced. If Auburn improves to 3-0 under Gus Malzahn at the Bulldogs' expense, however, the percussion will get much louder. Mississippi State's second half of the season is brutal. If the Bulldogs are going to reclaim the momentum they had in the first two months of 2012, it likely begins Saturday.
8. Alabama gets its chance at revenge against Texas A&M, Saturday in College Station. Forget the obvious storylines --Johnny Manziel's chance to establish himself as a leading Heisman candidate again, Nick Saban's chance to reveal a gameplan that has likely been in the formulation stages for at least eight months, the battle for SEC West supremacy, etc. What is truly significant Saturday is that three nationally ranked teams are playing in games in College Station and Austin and none of them wear burnt orange. Once again, Texas is on the undercard, a scenario unthinkable not so long ago. The Texas decision-makers spurned advances from the SEC, and two years later, they appear to have made a potentially catastrophic mistake. Suddenly, the Longhorns aren't the hot, sexy commodity they were just a few short years ago. Texas A&M, meanwhile, is. Prospects all over the country, including in the Lone Star State, are enamored by the idea of playing in the SEC. Had Texas joined the league, it would undoubtedly be a major national power today. Instead, Texas seems to be scrambling, searching for an identity at an incredibly inopportune time.
9. Breaking: The NFL is king. Sunday showed why. New Orleans held off Atlanta in dramatic fashion. The Jets somehow defeated Tampa Bay. San Francisco defeated Green Bay in a battle of NFC powers. Chicago held off Cincinnati, Tennessee won at Pittsburgh and the upstart Rams won at home against Arizona. One game after another was decided in the final minutes. Market size doesn't seem to matter. Scandal has no impact. The names and faces change, but the league continues to dominate the marketplace. Every fan base (except Jacksonville, which is hopeless) harbors realistic expectations of a playoff run. Here's proof: Out of the last 25 NFL underdogs of eight points of more, 23 have covered the spread, including the Buffalo Bills, who on Sunday lost 23-21 to New England despite taking the field as nine-point underdogs.
10. As a promise to my colleague Chase Parham, I started the "Breaking Bad" series last month. I'm eight episodes into Season One, and while the show's writing is fantastic, the show is dark and heavy. I can't watch more than an hour at a time without needing a break. Every Sunday, however, I have to avoid Twitter like the plague, knowing that many of my followers and the people I follow are tweeting about the latest episode. The temptation to read the Cliff's Notes of the first few seasons is almost insurmountable. When one person after another refers to the latest episode as the greatest show in television history, it's remarkably difficult to remain disciplined enough to resist the temptation to see what they're talking about and fill in the blanks later.
11. Here's a bonus thought: Ole Miss' athletics department started a new Twitter account last week. If you're interested in the business of intercollegiate athletics and the finances of Ole Miss athletics, you should follow @rebelsportsbiz on Twitter. In less than a week, the account has provided information regarding Ole Miss' athletic budget for 2013-14 ($70.5 million), specific information regarding line-by-line budget items in said budget, detailed the exact value of a football scholarship ($17,126 for an in-state scholarship, $28,094 for a non-resident scholarship), let fans know how much Ole Miss' three non-conference opponents will receive in guarantees ($2.1 million) and answered a nosy reporter's Twitter questions (name withheld out of embarrassment) on a Sunday morning regarding medical expenses and catastrophic injury insurance. It's another example of transparency and a seemingly eagerness to connect and communicate with a fan base.
12. What prompted that unnamed reporter's interest in catastrophic injuries was an ESPN story on Tulane defensive back Devon Walker, who suffered two broken vertebrae and paralysis in the Green Wave's loss at Tulsa last September. Bless that young man's heart, and bless his mother's, too. Every day, she spends two hours getting her once strong, strapping son ready to sit up enough to watch television. Doctors and scientists have produced so many medical miracles. Added to my list of prayers is the hope that some brilliant doctor or group of doctors one day find a way to reverse paralysis.
