For those of you who follow my blog, and are active readers, you know that my personal opinion is not very prominent in my work. I will express a few opinions during a random ‘Bama preview blog, but the only other time I compose an opinion filled blog is when I compile my “SEC Picks” for each game weekend. I mostly fill my blog with honest facts, stats…etc. However, this blog will be very different…thanks to the Ole Miss Rebels.
Like many, I didn’t think Ole Miss was a great team and I knew the environment (crowd, ESPN, primetime) at South Carolina would be a daunting challenge for the Rebels, but I also thought Ole Miss would find a way to win.
After the first quarter it was very obvious to even the most passive observer…Ole Miss was in trouble. As the game progressed Ole Miss began to fall in the polls before my eyes. Credit must be given to South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia for being a “mental quarterback” and making all the right decisions with the football. Respect should also be given to the South Carolina defense who seemed to pressure Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead most of the game.
Carolina deserves credit and respect, but on the other hand…Carolina is probably an average team at best. The Gamecocks are likely a 6-7 win team this season, and certainly a team Ole Miss should have beaten, if the Rebels were legit national contenders.
The “experts” projected Ole Miss to be a top 5 team in the national ranks and the Rebels were supposed to have “clear sailing” until the showdown with Alabama. However, in the contest with South Carolina, the Rebels looked very average and Jevan Snead looked to be the most overrated joke of a quarterback I’ve seen in years. I can only speak for the game in question, but when the pressure was on and the lights got brighter…he folded like a cheap suit.
Will Ole Miss recover and have a solid season? The chances of the Rebels having a strong campaign are very promising. However, the team is simply a whole bunch of “average,” and “average” won’t get you anywhere in the SEC or in the national picture. I still look for the ‘Bama/Ole Miss contest to be a “can’t miss” game, but after beating Memphis and Southeastern Louisiana, Ole Miss finally had to play a “real team”…and they failed.
In the weeks to come we may all look back on the South Carolina game and view the contest as a minor "bump" on the road to a great Ole Miss season. However, we may also look at the South Carolina game as the night the "dream season" turned into a nightmare.
I picked the Rebels to win and I was wrong. Sometimes being wrong is pretty cool. The "ole ball coach"...beat Ole Miss.
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