These are fascinating times for the Ole Miss football program. Obviously the first half of the season didn’t go according to plan. The Kentucky game was shocking and painful. It left me dumbfounded and scratching my head in amazement. The LSU game was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. When we didn’t cash in early, you could just see the game slipping away as Tiger stadium progressively built into a frenzy and the offense completely melted under pressure. Makes me wonder if we really are front runners like so many critics have said.
The off week absolutely couldn’t have come at a better time. There’s a real opportunity for the OL to get healthy and for Lane and Charlie to work on tweaking this offense to be more efficient and QB friendly. I’m hopeful that we have the right personnel and brain trust to make this happen. They have everything they need to get this thing on track.
Oklahoma is a very interesting matchup given the Rebel’s struggles. We’ve got them at home, thank God. Their OL is really bad, they have a young QB, and their entire WR room is banged up. This should give the Ole Miss offense some time to figure this thing out against a very solid Sooner defense. Assuming things go well, the defense should be able to hold down a less than explosive OU offense while Jaxson and the OL build some momentum.
There are certain things that I’ll be looking for in this game:
- committing to the run game early and often
- better pass pro up front. I wonder sometimes if tempo hurts this? Would be interested to hear from Pete or Tyler on the subject.
- finding creative ways to get Juice Wells the ball in space. This has to be done in order to keep him interested for the back half of the schedule. He’s really struggled making contested catches downfield. It’s my opinion that we’ve not played to his strengths.
- using all of your weapons. We have to find ways to get Watkins and Prieskorn the football. It will only help the other playmakers on this offense.
The SEC game I’ll be most focused on during the off week is LSU and Arkansas. Obviously UGA Texas is the headliner, but this one should be really interesting for Ole Miss fans for a number of reasons. After the UK loss I thought that maybe the Cats were a really good defensive football team, who caught a bunch of breaks and were building momentum offensively. Well, I was wrong. They are who we thought they were going in. That should scare OM fans. Is LSU a good football team? Were we beaten by a team who has put it together defensively and are going to get on a roll in the second half? Are they going to head into Fayetville and take care of business? Arkansas, like Ole Miss, is a couple of plays from being right in the thick of things. They have been in every game they’ve played. They have some real play makers on that defense. They seem to be much better offensively. We have to make what could be a nightmare of a trip up there in two weeks. If we win OU and escape Fayetville with a dub, there’s a real shot for this team to make some noise down the stretch.
Let’s say things go well. Suppose we figure it out against OU and take a solid football team to NW Arkansas, pick up a win, and host Georgia the following week. That’s a getable game. Georgia has looked human several times this season. We win that and we’re in the playoff hunt. Win out and there’s a real shot your name gets called by the committee. Hell, even a loss to Georgia and you can finish 9-3. It’s not what we all hoped for, but disaster has been averted. With 3 losses there’s still a very slim chance you get a playoff bid. Even without the playoff, the program can still move forward. The collective can be replenished and the program can continue upward momentum.
That brings me to last nights FSU game. Holy hell has that program face planted. My goodness. They’ve gone from a seat at the table to sleeping in the outhouse really quickly. My friends, it’s scary to think about, but we’re only a few bad games and poor choices from being exactly what they are. Let that sink in. Suppose we don’t figure it out against OU. Imagine we leave Fayetville without a victory. Georgia could throttle us. At that point do you think losses to Florida and State are off the table? What does a skid like that turn into? We’re talking full on disaster.
It’s why this off week is monumental. Leaders have to step forward. Tweaks have to be made. Improvement has to be shown. It’s imperative for this program to move in the direction we’re all hoping that it does. I’m confident that we have the administration, coaches, talent and resources to get to where we want to be.
Sorry for the long winded post. It’s early on a Saturday, I’ve got football on the brain, and my second cup of coffee is kicking hard. Please feel free to add your thoughts, hopes, and concerns.
The off week absolutely couldn’t have come at a better time. There’s a real opportunity for the OL to get healthy and for Lane and Charlie to work on tweaking this offense to be more efficient and QB friendly. I’m hopeful that we have the right personnel and brain trust to make this happen. They have everything they need to get this thing on track.
Oklahoma is a very interesting matchup given the Rebel’s struggles. We’ve got them at home, thank God. Their OL is really bad, they have a young QB, and their entire WR room is banged up. This should give the Ole Miss offense some time to figure this thing out against a very solid Sooner defense. Assuming things go well, the defense should be able to hold down a less than explosive OU offense while Jaxson and the OL build some momentum.
There are certain things that I’ll be looking for in this game:
- committing to the run game early and often
- better pass pro up front. I wonder sometimes if tempo hurts this? Would be interested to hear from Pete or Tyler on the subject.
- finding creative ways to get Juice Wells the ball in space. This has to be done in order to keep him interested for the back half of the schedule. He’s really struggled making contested catches downfield. It’s my opinion that we’ve not played to his strengths.
- using all of your weapons. We have to find ways to get Watkins and Prieskorn the football. It will only help the other playmakers on this offense.
The SEC game I’ll be most focused on during the off week is LSU and Arkansas. Obviously UGA Texas is the headliner, but this one should be really interesting for Ole Miss fans for a number of reasons. After the UK loss I thought that maybe the Cats were a really good defensive football team, who caught a bunch of breaks and were building momentum offensively. Well, I was wrong. They are who we thought they were going in. That should scare OM fans. Is LSU a good football team? Were we beaten by a team who has put it together defensively and are going to get on a roll in the second half? Are they going to head into Fayetville and take care of business? Arkansas, like Ole Miss, is a couple of plays from being right in the thick of things. They have been in every game they’ve played. They have some real play makers on that defense. They seem to be much better offensively. We have to make what could be a nightmare of a trip up there in two weeks. If we win OU and escape Fayetville with a dub, there’s a real shot for this team to make some noise down the stretch.
Let’s say things go well. Suppose we figure it out against OU and take a solid football team to NW Arkansas, pick up a win, and host Georgia the following week. That’s a getable game. Georgia has looked human several times this season. We win that and we’re in the playoff hunt. Win out and there’s a real shot your name gets called by the committee. Hell, even a loss to Georgia and you can finish 9-3. It’s not what we all hoped for, but disaster has been averted. With 3 losses there’s still a very slim chance you get a playoff bid. Even without the playoff, the program can still move forward. The collective can be replenished and the program can continue upward momentum.
That brings me to last nights FSU game. Holy hell has that program face planted. My goodness. They’ve gone from a seat at the table to sleeping in the outhouse really quickly. My friends, it’s scary to think about, but we’re only a few bad games and poor choices from being exactly what they are. Let that sink in. Suppose we don’t figure it out against OU. Imagine we leave Fayetville without a victory. Georgia could throttle us. At that point do you think losses to Florida and State are off the table? What does a skid like that turn into? We’re talking full on disaster.
It’s why this off week is monumental. Leaders have to step forward. Tweaks have to be made. Improvement has to be shown. It’s imperative for this program to move in the direction we’re all hoping that it does. I’m confident that we have the administration, coaches, talent and resources to get to where we want to be.
Sorry for the long winded post. It’s early on a Saturday, I’ve got football on the brain, and my second cup of coffee is kicking hard. Please feel free to add your thoughts, hopes, and concerns.
Last edited:
