Some Observations from Oxford

[lower14]

OK, I went down to Oxford to see Ole Miss play Kentucky this weekend. Keep one thing in mind when reading this: Kentucky is not very good.

1. Ole Miss fans should hope and pray that Taye Biddle tears an ACL, or is otherwise incapacitated for the rest of his playing days. He may be the fastest guy on the field, but he can't catch a cold. Costs Ole Miss points just by being on the field. Must have dropped 5 very catchable balls in the first half alone (before I got bored and stopped counting).

2. Can the Rebels recruit someone from the women's soccer team to kick? If the schmucks they trotted out there to kick FGs is the best they can do, fire the recruiting coordinator. Kickers are an afterthought to most people, but they are possibly more critical than any other position for winning games. 2 for 6 on FG attempts? I haven't kicked a ball in a game since 1989, but I'm quite sure I could do better than that now.

3. Funny moment of the game #1: Kentucky trying to "ice" Matt Hinkle (rhymes with Ray Finkle - LACES OUT!!!!!!) before the half. Good Lord, just let him go out there and kick the ball; when you're 1 for 4, I don't know that icing a kicker works much.

4. Robert Lane looked really good coming out of the backfield. He touches the ball three times for about 30 yards on the first two drives and doesn't get another touch all game. This is why all NC State fans (and my future father-in-law is one) were so happy when Ole Miss re-hired "No End Zone" Mazzone away from the Wolfpack.

5. Patrick Willis is every bit as good as advertised. One of the 10 best linebackers I've seen this year.

6. The Ole Miss defense is good. Not LSU-good, and not Virginia Tech-good, but certainly good enough to keep the Rebels close in every game they'll play this year.

7. Funny moment of the game #2: Taye Biddle being on the "hands" team that was sent out after Kentucky scored with 2:00 left. This may be the single best sign that Biddle has compromising photos of Khyat and Boone blowing each other. Historical similarities to this include: OJ Simpson on the "innocent" team and Bill Clinton on the "honorable" team.


Bottom line on the Rebels: their defense will be able to keep them in most every game, except those where they're facing a really good offense (i.e. LSU....Bama ain't all that great). They could get by if their offense could score touchdowns or their kicker could actually make one from time to time, but since neither of those things will happen, they will have to rely on the defense for field position and a big play to put up points. That will work against Kentucky and MS State, but not against anyone else in the SEC.

[webbmaster]

I'm suprised you were able to come up with 7.

[weimhunter]

. Funny moment of the game #1: Kentucky trying to "ice" Matt Hinkle (rhymes with Ray Finkle - LACES OUT!!!!!!) before the half. Good Lord, just let him go out there and kick the ball; when you're 1 for 4, I don't know that icing a kicker works much



THAT IS A GOOD ONE! ACE VENTURE PET DETECTIVE!

[Greenhead22]

[RebelYelp]

yea..... kicking was pretty pathetic.... a W is a W, even as ugly as it was...... and man, it was UGLY

[mshunter77]

the thing i always wonder is why are they not using larry kendricks, that guy is a playmaker he always makes people miss

[Po Monkey Lounger]

Some pretty good and funny observations. Looks like we saw the same game.

FYI: The recruiting coodinator WAS fired --- Cutcliffe and his staff.

Coach O did not have much time to evaluate and recruit a good kicker after he was hired in December of last year. The kicker we did sign --Justin Sparks --was already committed to the Rebs when Coach O arrived. Sparks, a true freshman from the Memphis area, was injured in August camp and is being redshirted. Thus, we do not know if he will be good in the future or not. I look for Coach O to sign a really good high school kicker this year, or perhaps bring in a good JUCO kicker instead. Sparks and the new signee will battle the current kickers in the spring. The current kickers will once again have to compete in the spring to earn a scholly for the fall. Mosely leads the SEC in touchbacks on kickoffs, so he will likely remain whether he wins the field goal kicking job or not. Mosely is also our back-up punter. Bass and Hinkle will have to beat out the other kickers in the spring, or they will likely be taken off scholarship for next fall and will likely transfer or quit. Not much the Rebs can do about the situation right now ---there is no quick fix for this season. Mosely has a strong leg and good accuracy on the longer kicks, but his short kicks are erratic and his trajectory is low causing his kicks to more easily be blocked. Bass and Hinkle are each good enough on extra points, but are struggling with consistency on the short range kicks from an angle from either hash mark. They are apparently the best and only options we have at this time.

Mazzonne's time at UM may be limited. I think the UM AD wanted him and Coach O agreed. But, I don't think that Coach O will want to keep Mazzonne if the offensive scoring production does not show improvement. From post game comments made by Coach O, I sense that he and Mazzonne are not on the same page with how the offense should be run. Coach O wants to win and will not hesitate to get rid of anything preventing him from winning or making needed changes to win. It will be interesting to see if a staff change at OC is made at the end of the season. IF Mazzonne is fired and a new OC hired, the move should have the support of most of the fans who were luke warm to the hiring of Mazzonne in the first place.

HOWEVER, the flip side of the Mazzonne issue is that without better OL personnel, it will not matter what offense we run or who lines up under center as the QB, we will still not score a lot of points. I really don't have any strong beef with the playcalling at this point. The problem to me seems to be poor execution of the plays from a number of positions. And, Mazzonne has been good at developing QBs and is a good recruiter. It will be a tough decision to make for Coach O at the end of the season. But, that is why he gets paid the big bucks. Ultimately, only Coach O will be held accountable for the performance of the team and the success of the program.

[RebelYelp]

kendrick doesn't have breakaway speed...... nor has he shown great ability to catch....

[mottlet]

The only receiver with SEC caliber hands is Mario Hill. And even he was dropping them on Saturday....

mottlet

[Greenhead22]

Ethan Flatt 'nuff said

[ntzhunter]

I know Im gonna get smashed...but here it is:
Im a State alum, and I was at the Ole Miss game Saturday, and they by far have the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Damn! I didnt even watch the game, I was checking out the women in the stands.

[RebelYelp]

we have plenty of beautiful women......

and.. as far as what gh22 said, flatt would get killed behind our line.

[mottlet]

I also seem to remember GH22 being a big Madkin supporter back in the day.

[RebelYelp]

again i say, maroon is the only color that matters

[rebelduckaholic]

Flatt has that lightning quick speed that could get him out of the pocket just like Spurlock. LOL We have a D2 caliber line Flatt could not play anything that resembles qb at OM. But that was a pretty funny observation.