Congrats

[spudhog]

One heck of a performance by the Rebs Saturday Night. I never got the feeling Ole Miss was ready to pick up the Mantle from Alabama/Auburn/LSU last season. Maybe that was because of the QB or the lack of commitment to the running game. But Saturday Night, Ole Miss looked like a true contender. They didn't just win that game, they took it from (took it to Bama).

Really believe that this could be the year for Ole Miss. The schedule and everything else is aligning. Congrats to you good Rebel Folks and I'll be rooting for yall until we play you later this season of course.

OM fans have a lot to be proud of and that team gave you plenty of reasons to believe that this isn't a normal season!

[CrossroadsReb]

Thanks for the kind words, spudhog. We're trying to overcome the injury bug/Tunsil matter, but our depth is now to the point that it's actually possible for us to do...which is quite different from years past. We pretty much finished the Bama game with 3 freshmen on the offensive line. Playing with a lot of confidence right now.

[Titles 'R Us]

spudhog: do you feel Bielema is the right man for the job? He sure worries a lot about Ohio State's schedule instead of what the Hogs have in front of them. He does realize he doesn't coach in the Big Ten anymore, right?

[spudhog]

I really thought he was the man for the job going into this year. He's recruited fairly well and seemed to have had everything going into the right direction going into this season. Unfortunately, he's modified his methodology a bit by not doing 2-a days in the pre-season and it's biting him the butt right now.

We have no identity any longer, our defense is absolutely horrific and we've got a ton of injuries. It is shaping up as being a dismal year. Depending on how the team/coaches respond, will determine if I believe he's still the man for the job. I really thought we'd take a step back in 2016 losing the QB, RB's and top WR. Not taking this majors step back in 2015. So, that has thrown me for a complete loop.

[Titles 'R Us]

Thanks for your input. I'd like to add a couple of insights here. I think the pundits read a lot more into the late-season wins over LSU and Ole Miss last year than was there. LSU was playing the 9th of 9 in a row without a bye, and I think they were gassed. Ole Miss finally felt the effects of Treadwell's injury three weeks after it happened. When OM thought they had won the Auburn game only to have the TD taken away and Treadwell taken away on a stretcher and out for the season, it really affected the team. But it didn't show up for three weeks. The following week, OM had a scrimmage with Presbyterian, then had an open date. It was advantage Arkansas when the loss to Auburn effectively removed the Rebels from the playoff conversation and that sunk in over those three weeks on the squad. So I'm saying that what was perceived as real momentum for Arkansas because of those two shutouts really had more to do with what was happening with LSU and Ole Miss. I'm not making excuses for either team, but this year's Arkansas team isn't doing much better than Bielema's first team. I understand his philosophy of having a big offensive line to back up a running game, and I understand the dangers of relying upon a finesse, HUNH game which some other SEC teams like Ole Miss have adopted. But it seems to me, as impartially as I can state it, that Bielema spends too much time fighting in his pressers with other coaches instead of bearing down with his schemes and game plans.

[spudhog]

The pressers he gets quoted on aren't exactly put into context. He doesn't go completely out of his way to say the things he says a lot of times but he simply shouldn't say them. I don't always stand by him on those things but don't always horrifically disagree. The Ohio State Comments/Texas HS comments were only brought to light due to the losses. If he had won those games, they would've never been brought up.

The late season wins weren't completely organic and I'll give you that. LSU had just lost to bama the week before and weren't very good at all. The OM game I agree/disagree a bit on. OM wasn't "UP" for the Hog Game but if you watch that tape, ARK just wanted it more that day. That's life in the SEC and you have to get up 8 times a year. And the Texas game was garbage cause they were horrible.

Bielema has a style that's actually similar to Houston Nutt's. Run for 200, pass to be balanced and control the LOS on both sides. The problem with both at Ark is, they neither ever had that full compliment to execute the gameplans. Ark is a tough place to win. In State Recruiting is often not great so you have to get a few players from each state. Bielema does that and I think he's attempting to do things the right way. But, we were left a huge talent/depth deficit due to Petrino and his departure. For Bielema to win 7 games with those scrubs last year was pretty good coaching.

We don't have a margin for error and I can't tell you how difficult that is to win without one. Everything has to go according to plan for us to compete that when something goes off course, we can't recover.

Think Freeze has done a great job of getting his recruits in and they are all grown up right now. Hugh's worked on his game management skills a bit and has a team that now can win in multiple ways. They can out slug you in a defensive struggle, beat you in a high scoring game and can dominate people that don't bring their "A" games. Really believe that this can be OM's year. Be rooting for yall all along.

[Titles 'R Us]

Nice input. BTW, I have a first cousin who actually went to Ole Miss but married an Arkansas girl. He switched allegiances because of her, and the last time I visited them a few years back, all he could talk about was the 'Seventh Heaven' game (he called it) in which the Hogs outlasted the Rebs in that exhausting 7-overtime game which ended up changing the rules about overtimes. My cousin is not feeling so good these days, though. I keep telling him he can always switch back. It's a man's prerogative.

[badmotorfinger]

I thought the post game comments from TT's coach were unfair and completely taken out of context. They didn't make much sense either. It's obvious he has a strong dislike for Beilema though.

[spudhog]

The 7th Heaven Game was actually a terrible game that OM should've won in regulation that was made famous only by the OT play. ha. Sure he'd like to switch back to being an OM fan immediately not that any side is concerned about having flip floppers join their side. ha

Kingsbury is not a real good coach and would've probably remained silent if he had lost Saturday. But, he won and can talk all he wants.

Hugh stays away from a lot of non-sense with the media and I kinda wish Bielema would adopt some of those policies.

[Titles 'R Us]

Yeah, Freeze is good about not letting the media distract his players. He stood up in front of them this week and burned both the polls and the playoff projections and told them that they were back to ground zero. It's really hard to get players up every week, but Freeze steers clear of fights with other coaches and the pot-stirring by reporters, etc.