SB Nation - Brandon Bolden

Know Your Opponent: That College Up North

jeremyflint — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:56:53 -0000

Here is a late Q & A with the guys over at Red Cup Rebellion. The Egg Bowl kicks off tomorrow at 11:21am CT on SEC Sports Network. GTHOM!

1. Ole Miss started the season with a lot of hype and presictions of greatness. Has the season lived up to expectations? Why or why not?

If you had asked this question of me a month ago, I would have answered with a resounding "no." However, our offense has averaged over 450 yards per game since then, and our defense looks to be crushing opposing ballcarriers.

Before the season began, I predicted that the Rebels would go 10-2 with losses to Alabama and Arkansas, placing them second in the West. Assuming that we take care of business against MSU this Saturday, we will have fallen only one win short of that and still place second in the West.

As the fan of a team from Mississippi, it's foolish to be dissatisfied with nine regular season wins.

2. Dexter McCluster is obviously the centerpiece of the Rebel offense. If you were Carl Torbush, how would you try and limit his success in the game?

Honestly, I know this would be crazy, but I would move a fast safety into your linebacking corps and spy Dexter with him on every single play in which Dex is in the game. If you try to do what LSU did, getting Chad Jones to spy McCluster out of a traditional safety spot, Snead will simply pick on that safety's side of the field. The key is having someone with Dexter McCluster's speed whose only job is to take care of McCluster.

Still, Dexter's best quality is his ability to make something out of nothing. Plenty of times in the last few games, opposing defenses have had players in the right place only to see Dexter switch directions or simply outrun said defenders. He's lighting in a bottle, and there's no true way to stop him.

3. Aside from McCluster, what other weapons does Jevan Snead have available.

Well, I don't know if you have ever heard of Shay Hodge. He leads the SEC in receiving yards. Hodge is obviously Jevan's favorite target, and it has shown. Shay catches many many more balls than any other receiver, and Jevan appears to stare him down sometimes.

But we have some other receivers and backs worth noting.

Tailback/Fullback/H-Back Brandon Bolden has soft hands and can make something happen after he catches the ball out of the backfield. He's a devastating runner who can level players in the secondary.

Our only tight end of note in the passing game is Ferbia Allen, a freshman who may not have many catches but has made his touches matter. Against Tennessee, Allen had an incredible catch for a first down on a ball that was poorly thrown and required a lay-out grab.

The other receivers of note are Markeith Summers, a balanced receiver who has a little trouble bringing the ball in sometimes, Lionel Breaux, a speed receiver who also has trouble bringing the ball in, and Patrick Patterson who has no trouble holding onto the ball but can't get separation to save his life.

4. Give me the run-down of your best players on both sides of the ball.

I'm going to assume you meant along the lines since I've essentially already discussed all the skill players on offense.

On the offensive line, John Jerry was a decent right tackle. Then true freshman mammoth Bobby Massie was moved to the starting job at RT allowing Jerry to move to right guard. It turns out that while Jerry was only an adequate tackle, he's a fantastic guard. Baby J has been able to open countless holes for the running game, and Massie has also played well. The late-season line adjustment is just what the doctor ordered.

On the defensive line, our best pass-rushing defensive end is done for the season in Greg Hardy, but the line is still full of stars. In fact, the two best return (fingers crossed) next season. Juniors Kentrell Lockett (DE) and Jerrell Powe (NT) are phenoms who get after the quarterback as well as they bring down the ball carrier. It's a pleasure to watch them both play as they both specialize in disrupting the backfield and busting plays.

5. How do you see this game playing out and what will the final score be?

I don't think it's just the Rebel in me that's calling this a win for Ole Miss. MSU has nothing for which to play, and the Rebels are shooting for a Capital One Bowl berth with this win. Sure, it's a rivalry, but, much to the surprise of many fans, the better team has usually won for the past decade or so. Here, Ole Miss is the better team.

I imagine that we'll have trouble containing Anthony Dixon, but the defense has come up strong against some great backs, and I can't imagine Dixon having a day like he did against Kentucky. We'll be keying in on him, and neither Tyson Lee nor Chris Relf have the arm to beat our secondary.

On offense, I imagine we'll just continue to let McCluster run wild, but if State keys in on him too much, we'll use him as a distraction like we did against LSU. Your defense can't overcommit to McCluster, or you're toast.

Rebels win 31-17.

Guest Blogger: Juco All-American Answers Five Questions

Poseur — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:22:35 -0000

Let's all welcome JUCO All-American from the Ole Miss blog, Red Cup Rebellion. We've had some making fun of RCR this season, but we put the knives away before the game to ask each other five questions on the game. Go visit RCR and see my answers to their questions as well. Come back and call me a moron.

OK, we all know Dexter McCluster is awesome. So why has Brandon Bolden gotten more rushing attempts (barely, but still, what's up with that)?

Um... in some ways your guess is as good as mine. Let me say this. In practice during the Spring and Fall, Bolden was awesome. In the spring game, he only played in the first drive, but that drive was the Brandon Bolden show. He is a threat catching the ball out of the backfield but is a power runner capable of bulldozing defenders.

The problem this season has been that because of Snead's struggles, Bolden has been removed from the game. Opposing defenses stack the box when he's in, and he doesn't get a good head of steam running the ball before getting hit. He has still been serviceable, helping us beat the teams that are significantly interior to us in terms of talent, but he hasn't been what people expected, and a lot of that falls on the offensive line.

Dexter McCluster spent the first half of the season being a receiver first and a running back second. I think that the coaches were dissatisfied with the play of other receivers not named Shay Hodge, so they wanted to put their best playmaker out there to give matchup difficulties. The problem is that they didn't really use him there. He was a diversion at best, displaying an inability to get open on routes that seemed to be there last year. But more than Dexter's problem, it was still an issue with the offensive line. Jevan didn't have time to get him the ball.

Now, the coaches have realized what they should have at the beginning of the season. Dexter McCluster is essentially un-defendable. Give him the ball as much as possible, and let him win the game. Against Tennessee, McCluster got the ball as the halfback in the I, the fullback in shotgun two-back sets, slot receiver, and even split end. So in some ways, he was used the way they intended from the beginning. The only difference is that now he's primarily a running back who plays wide receiver in some situations.

I know that's not directly to the point of your question, but I think it answers it adequately.

Ole Miss has been incredibly efficient inside the red zone this season, scoring 94% of the time, and scoring a touchdown on 77% of red zone opportunities. Why do you think that is?

It's a really astonishing statistic considering the problems we've had offensively. I think that it comes down to a few things. First of all, the teams that have beaten us have rarely allowed us into the red zone. That means that the stat gets great help against UAB, Southeast Louisiana, Northern Arizona, and Northwest Southeast Direcitonal Michigan (ok... I made that last one up), but it doesn't get hurt by our abysmal performances against Alabama and South Carolina.

The Rebels have a relatively strong gameplan in the red zone. We have four options for scoring play types between the twenties.

1. Throw a corner route or timing route to Shay Hodge.

Seriously, we do this every single time we get in the red-zone. It makes sense because Shay is excellent in one-on-one situations, but it just isn't working. The throws haven't been there.

2. Give the ball to Dexter McCluster. Let him do something.

Yeah. As I mentioned before, he's pretty good.

3. Run conventionally

This doesn't work all that well, but we've gotten lucky a few times running up the middle in the red zone, and Brandon Bolden, as mentioned earlier, can run really hard.

4. Play action pass to fullback or tight end

We do this often as well, but it hasn't gotten the results that most of our fans expected. From TE drops to QB miscues, the pass to the tight end isn't working for us. The passes to our fullback in the flats work fine, but Hartman (our starter) isn't really capable of getting more than 6 or 7 yards, and you need more than that to make a play this risky profitable.

Anyway, all four options are pretty reliable, and considering that we haven't been in the red zone much against quality opponents, the statistic looks excellent.

Most people focus on the Rebels offense, however the defense is in the top half of the conference in scoring defense, total defense, and rushing defense. Give us your thoughts on the OM defense this season. What should cause LSU fans to worry?

First off, our highly aggressive defense does a very good job of disguising blitzes. We'll motion to linebackers up to the line of scrimmage only to have them break back into coverage on the snap while the linebacker who stayed back blitzes against an unsuspecting offensive line. Defensive Coordinator has a few faults, but he's tremendous at drawing up blitz schemes.

Also, our defensive line is pretty ridiculous. At any given time, two defensive linemen are in the game who specialize in rushing the passer. The other two are good at stuffing the run. Our pass rushing specialists are DE Kentrell Lockett, DE Emmanuel Stephens, DT Jerrell Powe, and DT Lamarck Armour. All four are capable at getting into the backfield and disrupting the play. Our run stuffers are DE Marcus Tillman, DT Ted Laurent, and DT Lawon Scott. They're big bodies who excel at filling up holes and letting the linebackers make plays.

Our linebackers were a weakness at the beginning of the season, but they're starting to play very well. MLB Jonathan Cornell and WLB Allen Walker are both very complete players who can follow the ball well. SLB Patrick Trahan is a blitzing specialist, but he's not bad in coverage. There's no one in this group that's terrifying, but they're all adequate.

The secondary is certainly the weakness of the unit, but it's not awful either. We've seen a dip in production in terms of intercepting passes, but receivers are covered better than any year I've been following Ole Miss football.

The Rebels rank 5th in the conference in passing offense and only 8th in passing efficiency, even behind LSU, whose passing offense has at times made me want to strangle the life out of Gary Crowton. Which begs the question, what on earth is wrong with Jevan Snead?

Jevan's issues are a combination of three things.

He has accuracy issues.

Jevan himself struggles a little with ball placement. He doesn't have a total inability to place the football, but he does struggle with underthrowing or overthrowing targets. This leads to balls hitting the ground in front of receivers as well as balls flying over the heads of open pass catchers. It's frustrating.

The offensive line has been consistently bad

We have struggled in pass protection all season. Jevan was even flushed out of the pocket by Memphis. It has been tough and has obviously gotten into his head. He has happy feet now, a new development for Snead. Last season, he was poised and calm in the pocket. This year, he's frightened. Couple this with Jevan's gunslinger (Brett Favre buzzword) mentality and accuracy issues, and it's a recipe for disaster.

Receivers that aren't wearing #3 drop passes

None of us really know what we're going to do next year without Shay Hodge. Jevan often stares him down on plays, but who can blame him considering the fact that Hodge is the only receiver on our team who is reliable to catch the football. True freshman Pat Patterson has good hands too, but he can't get open very often. The other receivers on our team are just disappointing. Because of this issue, when teams have taken away Hodge, we haven't had an answer.

We try to avoid predictions at ATVS, but since you asked me, I might as well return the favor: what's the likely outcome of this game and why?

Yeah. We try to force people to make predictions in order to later look silly. I'm actually the one who writes our prediction on Friday, and I've looked ridiculous three SEC weeks in a row. I said the Rebels would:

Lose to Arkansas
Beat Auburn
Lose to Tennessee

I guess I'll predict LSU wins this one?

Let me explain.

LSU's offense has struggled a good bit, and if Jordan Jefferson isn't 100% ready to go, our defense will stifle you. We can stop the run when there's not a legitimate threat to pass. The times we have trouble against the rushing game are when quarterbacks can scramble or opposing teams call a lot of misdirection draws in odd situations. I imagine that Keiland Williams will be used in a generally normal way as a halfback and not in some sort of innovative spread gimmick. We can probably stop him at that. Even with a healthy Jefferson, I'm not concerned about your passing game. Sure, you have two excellent receivers, but we haven't seen many games where even Jefferson could get them the ball in space on a regular basis.

Now, I'm very afraid of your defense. I think that in the wrong situation, you could stuff us and make us look like Alabama and South Carolina did. The only thing I think we have going for us in that matchup is Dexter McCluster. You may be able to hold him in check, but he's going to have a few big plays, and that may be the difference in a low scoring affair.

So yeah. Ole Miss has the edge, but in a surprise twist (to please the sports gods), I'm predicting LSU to inexplicably win the game by three.

~~In reality, I think the Rebels will win 17-14.~~

ATVSSECOSPPOW: Week 11

Richard Pittman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:22:12 -0000

More photos » by Michael H. Miller - AP

about 1 month ago: Mississippi running back Dexter McCluster (22) runs for his fourth touchdown of the day, a 71-yard run, during an NCAA college football game against Tennessee in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael H. Miller)

Browse more photos »

There were a few nice games in Week 11 around the SEC. Mark Ingram rushed for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns in an easy win over Mississippi State. Tim Tebow had 8.0 yards per pass attempt to complement a solid running game and Riley Cooper went over 100 yards receiving as Florida beat South Carolina. Likewise Joe Cox complimented a solid running effort with over 10 yards per pass attempt without an interception and with one touchdown as Georgia won a tight one over Auburn. Derek Locke had 150 total yards as Kentucky beat Vandy.

But clearly, obviously, the player of the week in the SEC last Saturday was Ole Miss do-everything guy Dexter McCluster. He scored 4 touchdowns, and ran for 282 yards, and even found time to catch 4 passes for 42 yards. He scored Ole Miss's first 3 touchdowns of the game on runs of 15, 23, and 32 yards, the last of which gave Ole Miss the lead for good. His last touchdown put the game out of reach, 35-17, on a spectacular 71 yard run. YouTube to follow:

He may weigh only about 125 pounds, but there is no give in him. He runs hard, whether it is up the middle against defensive tackles who are twice his size (literally) or outside against safeties and corners who theoretically should be a match for him athletically.

Lately, Ole Miss has radically re-worked its offensive strategy. Here are McCluster's touches, by game, from the start of the season: 15, 3, 15, 9, 9, 3, 29, 26, 0, 29.

That zero represents a game against Northern Arizona in which McCluster was rested to heal injuries and/or keep him fresh, but you can see a definite trend line if you exclude that aberrational 0 number. They are giving the ball to McCluster a heck of a lot more in the second half of the season than they were in the first half. Strangely, Jevan Snead's numbers have not declined. Here are his pass attempts by game: 22, 28, 21, 34, 34, 22, 33, 35, 29, 20.

In fact, try as I might, I can't find ANYONE whose touches are decreasing in order to make more room for McCluster. Their traditional tailback, Brandon Bolden, is getting about the same number of rushes, and if anything his participation in the passing game has increased, as he has gotten 10 of his 19 pass receptions in just the last 4 weeks. So what's the deal? Obviously, Ole Miss is running more plays, probably because they're getting more first downs. The extra plays are because of giving the ball to McCluster more, and McCluster is reaping the benefits, but no one is really suffering (except the opponents).

There's a lesson in there somewhere. A rising tide lifts all boats? Was Reagan right all along, only applying trickle-down economics in the wrong context?

Anyway, if this is Ole Miss preview Part II, the take-home lesson is TACKLE THAT GUY.

Post Game: Tennessee, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Nutt

Whiskey Wednesday — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:09:38 -0000

More photos » by RYAN MOORE - AP

GG, TTYL, LOL!!

Browse more photos »

So, we totally fucked Tennessee up. I feel like I can say that this week without fear of a 100 comment bitch-fest by Arkansas fans about how... well, it's hard to understand them through the bad grammar, and the tears on the keyboard and whatnot, but they were bitching about something. Anyways, UT fans know they have a good team, they know they got whipped by a better-prepared squad, and they know that they could easily return the favor next year. They appeared to be exceptionally good sports. But for now...

Thrashing an SEC opponent feels good. Thrashing a historically strong SEC opponent on a fantastic Fall afternoon, going out on the Square, while not having to worry about the Internet fallout from the opposing fans' various personality disorders... feels fucking amazing. Before I dive into any real analysis, I'd like to send thoughts out to LaMarcus Thompson, the injured UT linebacker. Apparently, the prognosis is good, likely no more than a stinger, but this is not the first such injury for Thompson. Be careful, LaMarcus, it's only football.

Let's talk about replay for a moment; I don't think the topic has been mentioned much this year, so I feel like my opinion needs to get out there (/sarcasm). Seriously though, what the fuck!? Jevan's run on 3rd down leaves him splayed out across the Ole Miss logo on midfield, practically his whole body past the marker. 4th down. The offense lines up, snaps the ball (replay is no longer an option at this point, remember), and the play is "stopped" after Snead clearly picks up the first down. After an illegal review, the play stands, even though there is precisely zero chance that the ball was not advanced past the marker. The offense lines up again, Snead dives again, converting the first down (for the 3rd time, now), and comes up limping on his ankle. Thanks, replay! With LSU's prison rape-esque treatment by the replay officials last week, and the circus at the Notre Dame/Pitt game that may cost Charlie Weiss his job... something's gotta give. I'd love for someone more industrious than me to study the effectiveness (or more realistically, perceived effectiveness) of replay over the past three years or so.

The New Offense looks incredible, and not just the part where we hand it to Dexter thirty times. In case you didn't notice, we incorporated:

1. A really effective misdirected draw play

2. Some option read opportunities for Jevan, where he can toss to Grandy on the end around, or hand off to McCluster.

3. A screen for Shay Hodge, with Markeith Summers blocking

4. Some pass plays designed for Brandon Bolden. (I'm convinced that he's hurt, but we still need his reliability out there)

5. A new setup along the line, with Bobby Massie at right tackle and John Jerry at right guard. I'd been dogging Jerry's play at RT all season, so it's nice to see him back at the position he'll play in the NFL.

Everything seemed planned, everyone looked calm and competent. Except for a few glaring errors by Bradley Sowell (I'd even credit Snead's interception directly to Sowell getting reverse pancaked), the offense is performing like we thought they could.

The defense quietly had a good day. Injuries have carved into our depth a little bit, and we'll need guys like DT Shackleford and Lamar Brumfield to return if we're going to have a complete defensive showing against LSU. Still, 17 points agaist a Crompton-led offense used to be about normal, but in case you hadn't noticed, he's been pretty excellent lately, and put his team in a position to make the game much closer than it was.

Jerrell Powe had a fantastic game. Having a defensive tackle who can explode through the line like that changes the entire defensive dynamic. He continues to be an excellent replacement for Peria Jerry, which is more than we could've asked from him. Jerrell, please don't go pro.

Cassius Vaughn... welcome back, big guy! We're playing LSU next week, wanna come play?

Lastly, recruiting fanatics: if we sign a 5'7, shifty guy this year, hold off on the Dexter McCluster comparisons. Dex is making a case for being one of the best players in Ole Miss history. I hate to make premature claims like that, but damn. Percy Harvin is a poor man's Dexter McCluster. NFL defenses, watch out.

As much trouble as I had feeling good about this Ole Miss team since the loss to South Carolina... here we are. We're playing LSU next week, and the game means something. If we win, LSU's stock plummets and ours soars. We'll have a chance of surpassing our record from last year, and the chance to play in Orlando or Tampa, against a Big Ten team we've never played before. That's pretty exciting. Also, the Grove is going to be FUCKING EPIC. This week can't go by fast enough.

Have a great Sunday, Rebel fans, and Hotty Toddy.

Q&A with Red Cup Rebellion

Joel — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:44 -0000

Apart from yesterday's nastiness (not their fault -- we don't think), we've had a very good week with our friends at SB Nation Ole Miss blog Red Cup Rebellion. On Monday, we had The Ghost of Jay Cutler on our podcast:

. . . and on Wednesday, they had Will on their podcast:

. . . and today, we are exchanging Q&As with them. Their answers to our questions are below, and ours to theirs are over at their place.

And so . . .

RTT: From our perspective way over here, the two main knocks against Houston Nutt as a head coach are (a) that his teams seem to succeed when they're not expected to do well but fail when they are and (b) that Nutt is a certifiable quarterback-killer. Vol fans know from experience that memes that go national rarely tell the whole story. So what's the rest of the story on those two criticisms of Nutt? Are they valid or not?

Red Cup Rebellion: Well, we’ve learned the hard way this season that even memes that go national are occasionally right. Team Speed Kills did a story before the season began about how Houston Nutt does in fact live up to expectations. They used fancy schmancy mathematics and tables. Suffice it to say that until this season, the only expectations Houston Nutt didn’t live up to were those that were only held by the fans (delusional Arkansans at that). However, this season is different.

This season, everyone and their mama thought the Rebels would play well. I mean, we returned a "dark horse Heisman candidate" at quarterback (that’s so funny to type now). Also, our stable of halfbacks was supposed to be great. Turns out that both of those things may or may not be true. We have no idea because our offensive line is so bad. They don’t give Jevan time, and they don’t open holes for Brandon Bolden.

So in answer to part A, I would say that, while this season fits the mold quite well, it is the first season Nutt has ever had that did so. To say that he doesn’t live up to expectations because one season out of eleven in the SEC didn’t is nonsense.

In answer to part B, see the second paragraph of this answer. Jevan certainly isn’t helping himself out much, but I’m not sure it’s Houston Nutt’s fault that Ed Orgeron signed only 4 players who would ever start on the offensive line. Jevan doesn’t have any protection, and he’s not the type of quarterback who can succeed in that situation. He makes poor decisions when pressured, and we’re seeing that week-in and week-out this season.

In further answer to B, which quarterbacks has Houston killed exactly? Clint Stoerner flourished under him. Matt Jones wasn’t a real quarterback. Casey Dick shouldn’t have been starting in the SEC. I don’t know a ton about Arkansas football, but I’ve missed the examples of quarterbacks who actually regressed under Nutt.

So in reality, Houston Nutt is actually just bad at recruiting good QBs. Quarterbacks used to illustrate this by Arkansas fans are Tarvaris Jackson and Kodi Burns. Yeah. Those guys are tearing it up these days. I mean, my goodness, Tarvaris Jackson threw for nearly 2,700 yards as a senior at Arkansas State… in the Sun Belt…

RTT: Y'all haven't had a week off since after your very first game. Are there any injuries or depth or fatigue issues we should know about?

Red Cup Rebellion: It’s a good thing I waited until today to answer this. My answer was going to be just a flat out no, which would have been no fun.

Then yesterday happened, and our best pass rusher is done for the year after having wrist surgery. Yeah. Greg Hardy. You may have heard of him.

The loss of Hardy is absolutely devastating to our team. He has been in and out of injury trouble during his career at Ole Miss, but he was playing this season relatively injury free and giving 100% on every play, something that had been a knock against him in years past. Hardy is our most technically sound defensive end, and he weighs 270 pounds. Oh, he’s also really fast.

Losing Hardy doesn’t mean all hope is lost in pressuring the quarterback. Junior DE Kentrell Lockett was actually starting over Greg and leads the team in sacks and tackles for loss, but Hardy is incredible at getting after the passer, and he will be missed.

Other than that, we’re doing fine. It seems like our coaches are pretty good at recognizing when our players need some rest. We don’t generally have fatigue issues (other than our offensive linemen who seem to have spent the entire summer sitting in a la-z-boy recliner eating Doritos.)

RTT: Just looking at the numbers, we made the following conclusions earlier this week:

a) Against common opponents, Tennessee has fared better than Ole Miss. We beat Memphis worse and played Alabama and Auburn better. The Rebels' best victory this season came against Arkansas. We got ours against South Carolina, a team to which Ole Miss lost.

b) Much like Tennessee (discounting the recent trend), Ole Miss is middle-of-the-pack on offense but very good on defense. They're especially good at pressuring the QB and stopping plays before they can get across the line of scrimmage.

c) The keys to the game for Tennessee will be winning the line of scrimmage on offense and balancing the defense to stop McCluster's big-play ability and Snead's potential as a good passer.

Agree? Disagree? And what of Jesse Grandy's two kickoff returns for touchdowns? Has he used up his quota for the season or is he always a threat to break one?

Red Cup Rebellion: a) Yeah. Your victories are certainly better than ours. Our best win came against an Arkansas team whose receivers had butter on their hands, and we still didn’t approach the 20 point win that was possible. Did I mention that Arkansas has a losing SEC record? Your signature win is against a South Carolina team that absolutely destroyed us. Disconcerting to say the least.

b) Yeah. That’s the name of our game. Pressure the quarterback and try to put the defense into third and long situations. On offense, the team goes about scoring touchdowns in a risky manner, while the fans just ask them to not lose the game for the defense.

c) If Tennessee’s offensive line can consistently beat out our defensive big guys, Tennessee will roll with this one. Our linebackers and secondary aren’t awful, but they’re not of the same caliber as our front four. One linebacker to keep an eye out for though is Allen Walker. Most of our fans haven’t noticed, but he has made some awesome plays this season. If anyone in our back seven is a threat to get into the backfield in a non pass-rushing situation, it’s Walker.

d) Well, there’s really no question D, but that question about Grandy is just kind of stuck in there. Here’s my answer to that: in three games as a kick returner, the freshman has two kickoffs returned for touchdowns. He’s a danger because of his flat-speed. We have trouble getting him the ball in a lot of situations on offense since he’s not a polished receiver, but on kickoffs, we don’t have to worry about that. I’m not sure that Ole Miss has ever had a player who returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season, but I woudn’t put it past Grandy. He’s dynamite. Now if only he could gain about six inches of height and twenty pounds while still maintaining his speed…

RTT: Is there a common thread in the Rebels' three losses? You know, besides the Ls.

Red Cup Rebellion: Yes. The offensive line has struggled in pass protection against all the teams against which we have lost…. or won. Honestly, it’s just about whether Jevan is able to compensate for the offensive line and whether our defense is able to hold the opposing offense relatively in check. We have been a bend but don’t break defense all year, but we’ve broken a few times in the losses, and our offense simply isn’t good enough to make up for that. Also, as good as the defense is, they never ever force turnovers. It’s really frustrating.

The only reason the Alabama game wasn’t even more of a blowout is that our defense only allowed one touchdown while forcing Bama to kick five field goals. If only a few of those Bama drives had ended in seven points instead of three, people would have had their heads hung a great deal more.

RTT: Stealing yours: What's your prediction for Saturday's game? Give a predicted score and talk about the way it will shake out.

Red Cup Rebellion: Well, there are really three options here.

Option one, Tennessee blows Ole Miss out. A 20 point win is possible considering the matchup difficulties. If we have trouble stopping the draws and misdirections against Hardesty and Brown, we’re in for a long day. I have total confidence that Monte Kiffin will give us fits, so our defense has to carry the game for us. If they are unable to do so, we’re going to get hurt, badly. This can’t happen. If it does, our season is over.

Option two, Ole Miss wins a close one against Tennessee. Hell, we’re favored by five points right now. Apparently there’s something that bettors see that gives them reason to bet on Ole Miss winning this one. I could see it happening. The recipe for success against Tennessee is going to be capitalizing off of any mistakes the offense makes and keeping the ball in the hands of our halfbacks. Sure, Jevan will need to make some plays, but if we can continue to ride on the back of Dexter McCluster, we might be able to win this one.

Option three, Tennessee wins a close one against Ole Miss. Unfortunately for the Rebels, I’m afraid this is the answer. Our defense will probably play pretty well for the first three quarters and then get fed up with our offense, opening the floodgates and allowing a very close game to end up with a 7-10 point win. When this happens, our fans will be saddened, but they may not completely lose hope for the season.

So that’s it. Tennessee 24 – Ole Miss 14.

We can live with that. Thanks, guys. Be sure to keep your eye on Red Cup Rebellion all throughout the day for more on their perspective on tomorrow's game.

Tennessee Volunteers at Ole Miss Rebels: game preview

Joel — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:27:49 -0000

A weekly look at our upcoming opponent's recent history, with animated drive charts and links to SB Nation game pages.

This is a long post full of moving pictures and stats, so I'm putting the conclusions and predictions both at the beginning and at the end.

Conclusions

Against common opponents, Tennessee has fared better than Ole Miss. We beat Memphis worse and played Alabama and Auburn better. The Rebels' best victory this season came against Arkansas. We got ours against South Carolina, a team to which Ole Miss lost.
Much like Tennessee (discounting the recent trend), Ole Miss is middle-of-the-pack on offense but very good on defense. They're especially good at pressuring the QB and stopping plays before they can get across the line of scrimmage.
The keys to the game for Tennessee will be winning the line of scrimmage on offense and balancing the defense to stop McCluster's big-play ability and Snead's potential as a good passer.

Predictions

Tennessee 13, Ole Miss 12

Schedule and Animated Drive Charts


@ Memphis Tigers	9/6/09	win 45 - 14
SE Louisiana Lions	9/19/09	win 52 - 6
@ South Carolina Gamecocks	9/24/09	loss 10 - 16
@ Vanderbilt Commodores	10/3/09	win 23 - 7
Alabama Crimson Tide	10/10/09	loss 3 - 22
UAB Blazers	10/17/09	win 48 - 13
Arkansas Razorbacks	10/24/09	win 30 - 17
@ Auburn Tigers	10/31/09	loss 20 - 33
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks	11/7/09	win 38 - 14

Rather than post all of the Rebels' drive charts, I decided to compare those of Ole Miss and Tennessee against common opponents. Up first is Memphis. Both games were blowouts, but ours was front-loaded (which is better, right?) and more blowout-y:

FULL SCREEN VERSION

They lost to South Carolina, and we dominated, although we were pretty fortunate with the turnovers:

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Both teams played fairly well in losses to Alabama and mostly kept the Tide out of the end zone (although the Rebels' let 'em have one). Ole Miss, though, threw four interceptions to our one, and the Tide pulled away from the Rebs at the end but the Vols pulled closer:

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Both teams lost to Auburn, but we both held the Tigers to fewer points and scored more:

FULL SCREEN VERSION

National Unit Rankings

Now on to the national rankings.

OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	40	172.44	Nevada	319.13	6	Florida	240.67
Passing Offense	57	223.56	Houston	433.67	4	Arkansas	299.44
Total Offense	51	396.00	Houston	577.89	6	Auburn	450.30
Scoring Offense	38	29.89	Houston	42.11	6	Arkansas	35.56
Passing Efficiency	72	126.00	Cincinnati	171.84	9	Florida	159.46
Sacks Allowed	T-34	1.33	La.-Lafayette	.44	5	Alabama	1.00

Offensive observations. Smack dab in the middle of the pack in the SEC and slightly above average nationally in every offensive category except passing efficiency, where they're in the bottom quarter.

DEFENSIVE RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Defense	58	136.44	Texas	55.33	7	Alabama	68.22
Pass Efficiency Defense	14	100.02	Florida	85.86	3	Florida	85.86
Total Defense	25	317.22	Texas	230.78	6	Florida	232.44
Scoring Defense	12	15.78	Florida	10.11	4	Florida	10.11
Pass Defense	23	180.78	Air Force	127.20	7	Florida	134.44
Sacks	16	2.78	Pittsburgh	4.33	2	Alabama	2.89
Tackles For Loss	26	7.00	Cincinnati	8.89	2	Alabama	7.33

Defensive observations. Sort of all over the board here. Extremely good at disrupting the opponent's backfield and pass effficiency defense, good at keeping points off the board, and average (in the SEC, anyway) in rush, pass, and total defense. Their primary vulnerability appears to be against the run.

SPECIAL TEAMS AND TURNOVERS RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Net Punting	62	35.74	Georgia	43.95	5	Georgia	43.95
Punt Returns	58	9.37	Arizona	19.00	6	LSU	17.32
Kickoff Returns	16	24.97	Stanford	32.06	3	Florida	26.48
Turnover Margin	102	-.78	Rutgers	2.25	11	Arkansas	1.00

Special teams and turnovers observations. Bell curve here. Really good at kickoff returns (uh-oh), okay at punting and returning punts, and really bad in turnover margin.

Stastical Comparison

Here's how the two teams stack up against each other in each of the key statistical categories in Hooper's wizbang BlogPoll Computerer:

Rank	Team	WL	SOS	PED	RD	3DO	TD	PEO	OPPG	TO	3DD
27		51	32	16	39	70	16	35	26	47	16
33		31	59	14	58	66	25	72	12	51	2

Against a much more difficult schedule, the Vols are roughly evenly matched against Ole Miss. Where they're ranked higher than Tennessee, though, it's fairly close, but where Tennessee is ranked higher, the difference is generally more pronounced.

Players to watch for

Category	Player	National Rank	Actual
Rushing	Brandon Bolden	95	58.11
	Dexter McCluster		52.56
Passing Efficiency (Min. 15 Att./Game)	Jevan Snead	73	123.84
Total Offense	Jevan Snead	58	216.56
	Brandon Bolden		58.11
	Dexter McCluster		52.56
Receptions Per Game	Shay Hodge	T-55	5.00
	Dexter McCluster		3.00
Receiving Yards Per Game	Shay Hodge	31	81.44
	Dexter McCluster		39.11
Interceptions
Punting (Min. 3.6 Punts/Game)	Tyler Campbell	18	43.80
Punt Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game)	Marshay Green	36	8.82
Kickoff Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game)	Jesse Grandy	11	30.06
Field Goals	Joshua Shene	T-65	1.00
Scoring	Joshua Shene		6.33
	Shay Hodge		4.00
All-Purpose Runners	Brandon Bolden		97.00
	Dexter McCluster		94.78
	Shay Hodge		81.44
	Jesse Grandy		74.25
Sacks	Greg Hardy	T-51	.62
	Kentrell Lockett		.44
	Patrick Trahan		.44
Tackles	Kendrick Lewis		6.33
	Johnny Brown		6.22
Tackles For Loss	Jerrell Powe	T-77	1.00
	Greg Hardy		.81
	Kentrell Lockett		.67
	Patrick Trahan		.67

Observations

Running backs. Dexter McCluster is not ranked nationally in any statistical category, but he's everywhere doing everything. Apart from McCluster, it appears that they have a bunch of good runners, but no spectacular ones. Brandon Bolden is the most productive of the bunch.

Quarterbacks. For as much preseason hype as he got, Jevan Snead's numbers this season haven't been anything special. He's solid, and he can go off at any time, but he can also completely tank at any given time.

Receivers/Tight Ends. Shay Hodge is the team's go-to receiver with 5 catches and 81.44 yards per game. Oh, look. Next is McCluster.

Defense. Look at all of those guys making noise in the backfield. Led by Greg Hardy and Jerrell Powe, they're quite good at pressuring the quarterback and stopping running plays before they get to the line of scrimmage. Hardy's getting .62 sacks and .81 TFLs per game. Powe's getting a sack per game. Kentrell Lockett and Patrick Trahan round out the aggressive group.

Special teams. Jesse Grandy is a dangerous kickoff returner, averaging over 30 yards per return. He's returned two for touchdowns this season, one against UAB and one against Auburn.

Head to Head Comparisons

			Best Comparable	Result Against Best Comparable	Prediction
UT rush v. Ole Miss rush defense	168.22 (#46)	136.44 (#58)	South Carolina (145.60)	199	190
UT pass v. Ole Miss pass defense	232.22 (#45)	180.78 (#23)	Alabama (174)	265	240
Ole Miss rush v. UT rush defense	119 (#39)	172.44 (#40)	WKU (175)	34	100
Ole Miss pass v. UT pass defense	176.11 (#20)	223.56 (#57)	UCLA (222.44)	101	120
UT scoring offense v. Ole Miss scoring defense	32.11 (#23)	15.78 (#12)	Alabama (11.78)	10	13
Ole Miss scoring offense v. UT scoring defense	18.89 (#26)	29.89 (#38)	Alabama (30.89)	12	12

Again, not math, but informed guess. I doubt we'll have as much success against their running game as we did against WKU's, what with ladies man McCluster back there running all over the place and us working on our third starting middle linebacker of the season. I also took trends into account in bumping up the prediction for Tennessee's points. 13 may actually be conservative with how this team has shown it can move the ball in the last few games. But the most concerning thing about the above chart is that Alabama pops up as the best comparable in half the categories.

Prediction? More yards for Tennessee, but a close, relatively low-scoring game. Like the 'Bama game but without Terrence Cody?

Conclusions

Against common opponents, Tennessee has fared better than Ole Miss. We beat Memphis worse and played Alabama and Auburn better. The Rebels' best victory this season came against Arkansas. We got ours against South Carolina, a team to which Ole Miss lost.
Much like Tennessee (discounting the recent trend), Ole Miss is middle-of-the-pack on offense but very good on defense. They're especially good at pressuring the QB and stopping plays before they can get across the line of scrimmage.
The keys to the game for Tennessee will be winning the line of scrimmage on offense and balancing the defense to stop McCluster's big-play ability and Snead's potential as a good passer.

Predictions

Tennessee 13, Ole Miss 12

Week Six Preview: #3 Alabama at #16 Ole Miss

outsidethesidelines — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

"Quit throwing so many picks!"

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The Alabama v. Ole Miss series isn't one filled with hatred quite like the Auburn or Tennessee series, nor is it generally a series that has a high degree of relevance on the national level. Nevertheless, over the course of the past four years, no series anywhere in the country has produced as many gut-wrenching, nail-biting contests as what we've seen when the Tide took on Johnny Reb.

The past four games in this series have been decided by a grand total of thirteen points, and that statistic alone does not even begin to adequately describe how close things have been. The 2005 game ended on a time-expiring kick, while the 2006 game ended in overtime. The 2007 game was decided on a controversial penalty with seven seconds remaining, and last year's game also went into the final minute. And most shockingly of all, somehow, someway, all of those contests have fallen in our favor. How we've had the good fortune from the Football Gods to pull all of those games out, I'll never know.

After Ole Miss rallied late last year, this game has been marked for months as one of the games of the year. Of course, though, Johnny Reb effectively wet the bed in its only real test thus far in the 2009 season, and that has knocked a lot of the luster off this game. Ole Miss was clearly overrated as a top five team, and had no real business being ranked that high. That said, however, the Rebels are still a quality team and a very dangerous opponent. This game is likely to be yet another close one that goes down to the wire, so let's take a closer look at the match-ups:

Alabama Offense v. Ole Miss Defense

Even with a slow start in the passing game and some questionable early play-calling against a good Kentucky defense, Alabama nevertheless managed to rack up 38 points and 352 total yards in Lexington. The Alabama offensive juggernaut has seemed to slow with each and every game the past three weekends -- largely because the quality of the defense faced has increased each week -- and things won't get any easier this week when we go to Oxford.

The strength of the Ole Miss defense is clearly at the point of attack. The defensive end rotation of Greg Hardy, Kentrell Lockett, and Marcus Tillman is easily the best we'll see all year long, and while Hardy has not been able to get completely healthy -- and thus he's really no longer an every down player -- he's still a dangerous weapon when he is in the game. The ends are also solid on running downs, and mixed with the size of the interior players, it forms a very difficult run defense up front when these guys show up to play. Interior tackles Ted Laurent and Lawson Scott are both over 300 pounds, and the monster 340 pound Jerrell Powe is quickly starting to show why he was a five-star prospect coming out of high school. You can make all the reading jokes you want, but literacy isn't really a core competency for playing nose tackle, and Powe can at times dominate interior offensive linemen like he's a man among boys.

At linebacker Ole Miss has had more than their fair share of struggles since Patrick Willis went to the NFL, but they've got a solid group there now. The unit is led by Patrick Trahan, the senior linebacker that Houston Nutt signed out of the JUCO ranks in his first class in Oxford. Trahan started his collegiate career as a safety -- he was a former track athlete in high school -- but he kept getting bigger and bigger so he was moved to linebacker. The end result now is a 6'3, 225+ pound 'backer with great athleticism, and he's tough on opposing offenses. He's big enough to play the run, but also versatile enough to play the pass and rush the passer. He's a legitimate three-phase linebacker. Jonathon Cornell and Allen Walker start alongside Trahan, and while they aren't quite the caliber of Trahan, both are upperclassmen who are more than adequate.

The real surprise of the Ole Miss defense to date, however, has been the defensive backfield. Ole Miss was almost universally expected to struggle in the secondary this year, but surprisingly enough they have allowed very little success through the air. That said, however, we really don't know anything about this group because they have yet to face a decent passing attack, so it could be all a paper tiger for all we know, and if nothing else the Alabama passing game will be easily the best this unit has faced all year. What we can safely say is that so far this year Cassius Vaughn and Marshay Green have been solid at cornerback, Johnny Brown and Kendrick Lewis have been more active than usual at safety, and the back-ups have generally been pretty adequate. But, again, we really have no clue as to whether or not this Ole Miss defensive backfield is a contender or a pretender.

Looking at how we match up against Ole Miss, you really have to worry about our running game. We ran the ball well against Kentucky on the meaningful attempts -- i.e. factoring out the garbage time, clock-killing carries late -- but Arkansas still shut us down, and frankly this is easily the best defensive line we've seen all year. Ole Miss shut down our running game last year better than any other team on the schedule -- we had 31 carries for only 107 yards, averaging a meager 3.1 yards per carry -- and it's going to be very difficult to run on these guys again this year. These guys can flat out whip you in the trenches, and we're going to have to show up ready to play at a very high level if we look to move the football on the ground in Oxford.

Hopefully we will be able to take advantage of Ole Miss in a couple of areas. Their defensive line features a solid, deep rotation, but the linebacker corps is very thin. The starting three are good players, and back-up Lamar Brumfield is a solid, versatile player who can play all three positions. After that, though, all you really have is true freshman D.T. Shackelford -- an Alabama native who the Tide passed over last, so extra motivation there -- and while he has been a bit of a freshman sensation, he is also slowed by a high ankle sprain, and he likely won't play a lot against the Tide. So, it's a thin unit already, and both Trahan and Walker also play extensively on special teams, so hopefully we can wear them down and take advantage of their lack of depth. Likewise, the Ole Miss secondary is also a very small unit -- all starters are 5'11 and under, and three starters are 190 and under -- so hopefully we can really take advantage of the size match-ups with the likes of Julio Jones, Mike McCoy, Earl Alexander, and Michael Bowman.

Now, along those lines, I do like how our passing attack matches up against the Ole Miss secondary, but of course success there is predicated upon us being able to protect Greg McElroy against a very good pass rush. If we can give McElroy time, we should be able to move the football through the air. On the other hand, though, if Ole Miss can legitimately rush the passer, this is not going to be pretty. Either way, this isn't going to be an easy assignment for the Tide's offensive line. Ole Miss is tough off the edge, and Nutt will likely be aggressive in blitz packages, so the offensive line has its work cut out for them.

All in all, this one is a tough match-up for the Tide. Hopefully we can have some success running the football and block Ole Miss off the edge, but that's a lot easier said than done. Ole Miss will be tough to run on, and if they can get to McElroy, we're likely to find ourselves in Oxford with an offense that cannot run or throw effectively. It's going to be one heck of a fight, and we're going to have to play very well to move the football against this defense.

Alabama Defense v. Ole Miss Offense

The good news for Alabama is that this match-up favors the Tide a bit more. The Ole Miss offense is no slouch, to be sure, but it is a unit that has struggled early. Jevan Snead hasn't played anywhere near well enough to justify the preseason hype, the loss of Mike Wallace has hurt more than its gotten credit for, and there has been nothing close to a comparable replacement for Michael Oher.

Really, the struggles of this offense have started up front with the offensive line. The run blocking has been good at times, but has also been terrible at times, too. Smashes at the point of attack that spring good gains have been mixed with whiffs that result in tackles for loss. Pass protection, though, has really been the Achilles Heel of this group. Left tackle Bradley Sowell was beaten to a pulp against South Carolina, and right tackle John Jerry hasn't looked very good either. The interior linemen haven't played much better, either. Houston Nutt and company have rotated in a lot of linemen looking for the right mix, but they haven't found anything yet, and making matters worse this bunch simply looks out of shape. When John Jerry was literally begging to come out of the South Carolina game, all that came to mind for me was Mike Dubose, 2000, and the infamous "Pankcake Posse."

With the struggles up front, the rest of the offense just hasn't been able to compensate. Jevan Snead has been decent at times, but he has generally struggled to complete a high percentage of his passes and he has turned the football over a lot -- only a completion percentage of 51% and five interceptions. With Mike Wallace gone, the Rebels really do not have the big vertical threat in the passing game, and while the likes of Shay Hodge, Markeith Summers, Lionel Breaux, and Patrick Patterson form a solid wide receiver corps, they haven't been able to make up for the loss of Wallace. Likewise, Dexter McCluster is a threat, but he has really been more of a cog than a game-changer thus far in conference play.

The true strength of the Ole Miss offense to date has really been in the backfield with the tailbacks. Brandon Bolden has played as well as any back in the SEC to date, and at 5'11 and 220 pounds he is an absolute load. Back-ups Cordera Eason and Enrique Davis were both highly-touted recruits coming out of high school, and with their raw talent they form one of the most potent backfields in the country. Combined with Dexter McCluster's ability out of the Wildcat, this is a very dangerous group if their offensive line can give them any help up front.

Defensively for the Tide, I'll be brief on the overview because most RBR readers are more than well aware of who we are as a defensive unit, but I will address that the biggest issue we face here is exactly what we will do to replace Dont'a Hightower. Based on the practice reports, it's clear that Cory Reamer will be back at strongside linebacker this week, and we're going to have to be bigger inside to take on an Ole Miss team that will clearly look to be physical at the point of attack and establish the run. Chris Jordan is going to get a lot of playing time this week, and look for both Nico Johnson and Tana Patrick on the field -- even though playing will cost Patrick him a redshirt year.

As a whole, we are going to have a good bit different look defensively this week. Again, Ole Miss is the physical, run-based attack that we've come to expect out of Houston Nutt, and we are simply going to have to play smashmouth football against these guys. Simply put, if our defensive line doesn't show up with more energy and intensity than they did last week in Lexington, it's going to be a long afternoon. This isn't a spread passing attack where we'll constantly be in the nickel; you're going to see a lot of base 3-4 this week with safeties coming into the box to stop the run. The Rebs are far from pass happy.

And with that in mind, Injuries may make an impact on Ole Miss' power running attack. Fullback Andy Hartmann, a senior, is one hell of a lead-blocking load at 5'11 and almost 250 pounds, and he may be the best lead blocker in the conference. However, Hartmann sprained a knee a couple of weeks ago and has missed time. He missed practice on Tuesday, and while he is going to play on Saturday, we don't know how effective he can be and we do not know how much he will be able to play. Likewise, tight end Gerald Harris missed the South Carolina game with a hamstring injury, and while he did return against Vanderbilt, he's probably not 100%. Their back-ups, Dan Hoffman and Ferbia Allen, are a good 20-30 pounds lighter than the first-teamers, so if Hartmann and Harris are at less than 100%, that is going to make it more difficult for Ole Miss to run the football.

Furthermore, we need to use our depth in the defensive front seven to our advantage. Even with injuries to Hightower and Damien Square, plus the suspension of Jerrell Harris, we are still very deep in the front seven, and if the South Carolina game is any accurate indicator, the Ole Miss offensive line isn't in very good physical shape. We need to rotate players all afternoon and wear these guys down. Few things can better insure a 'Bama victory than to have John Jerry once again begging to come out of the game in the second half.

All in all, we're just going to have to line up against Ole Miss and be able to stop the run. That has to be priority #1 going into this game, period. Jevan Snead is overrated, but he can still be a threat, and with Nutt at the helm you have to be adequately prepared for every trick in the book. Nevertheless, those concerns are secondary to stopping the run. Given Snead's turnover issues to date -- which is to say nothing of Ole Miss' struggles in pass protection and the struggles of the receiving corps -- Nutt and company will likely play a bit conservatively here and try to establish the running game. If Ole Miss does that, they can move the football effectively and that will allow them to selectively use Snead and the trickeration to their advantage. On the other hand, though, if we can stop the run, particularly on early downs, we get Ole Miss in a lot of obvious passing situations, which limits the use of the Wildcat and other trick formations, and which also gives our defensive line numerous opportunities to take advantage of their struggles in pass protection and tee off on a quarterback who will be forced to take a lot of seven-step drops while waiting for routes to develop downfield.

Putting It All Together

On the whole, this one looks to be much like the last four contests in this series... a very hard, physical game that goes right down to the wire. Yes Alabama has looked very good to date, and yes Ole Miss wet the bed in their only true test to date. And, yes, Ole Miss was overrated coming into the year, no arguments here. Nevertheless, this is still a pretty good Ole Miss team, and they are a dangerous opponent that is more than capable of pulling off the upset.

Furthermore, the West is still absolutely wide open right now -- three teams are still undefeated, and Ole Miss still controls their own destiny -- and that fact mixed with Nutt's love of playing the underdog role, not to mention the recent acrimony that is surely present in the Ole Miss roster thanks to how this game has turned out the past four years, you can bet your life that Ole Miss will show up to play football on Saturday like men possessed. For all of the talk of Ole Miss wetting the bed, if Johnny Reb can pull off the upset on Saturday, they will quickly vault back into the top 10 and they will once again establish themselves as the front-runners in the SEC West if Florida can beat LSU, as expected. And, of course, rest assured they are well aware of those facts. Make no mistake about it, there is a lot on the line here for Ole Miss, and they will play accordingly. Do not expect Colonel Reb to lay an egg Saturday afternoon.

I do think we are the better team here. We have a tad more top-end talent, and a good bit better quality depth throughout the roster. Nevertheless, again, this is a dangerous Ole Miss team that actually matches up with us pretty well thanks to the strength of their defensive front seven and their ability to rush the passer with a base four-man rush. If you think victory is a near certainty in this game, you really need to drink something other than the crimson Kool-Aid. This should be a close game, and if we play like we did last week in Lexington, we're probably in a lot of trouble. We are a better team here who is justifiably a slight favorite, but nevertheless we are going to have to play really well to go into Oxford and get this victory, and at the very least victory is unlikely to come without one hell of a fight.

Hope for the best.

Previewing Ole Miss at South Carolina: Q & A with Red Cup Rebellion

Gamecock Man — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:39:38 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

3 months ago: In this Sept. 19, 2009 photo Mississippi tailback Brandon Bolden sprints past a Southeastern Louisiana defender on his way to a 44-yard run in an NCAA football game in Oxford, Miss. The fourth-ranked Rebels will need as much as they can get out from Bolden as they head into Southeastern Conference play. Their first big challenge of the season comes Thursday night against South Carolina and the SEC's No. 2 rushing defense. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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JUCO All American from Red Cup Rebellion and I got together to preview tomorrow's game. Here's what he had to say in response to my questions. My answers to his questions are here. Stay tuned today for more Q & A with Ghost of Chucky.

1. The Rebels have yet to square off against any truly dangerous competition. Do you feel that that gives you an advantage or disadvantage heading into this game?

I’m going to take the cheap way out on this one and say a little bit of both.

First, the negative. The fact that we haven’t seen anyone the caliber of several players on your team is quite scary. We rely on two first-year starters at key positions (LT, RG), and they haven’t set the world on fire against inferior talent. I’m worried about how unprepared they will be against a legitimate line. I’ll go into more depth about that in question four.

On the other hand, the fact that you’re our first test could also be a great thing. In our first two games, we haven’t had to show anything. In each game, our gameplan has been unbelievably vanilla. South Carolina’s lack of film could be the difference in the game this year. The Rebels have run the Wild Rebel maybe four times all year. Each of those times has been the same generic jet sweep that every other team does now. Nutt and Austin have a few wrinkles up their sleeve that could win the game for the Rebels.

2. Most of us haven't gotten to see much of Ole Miss on TV yet. What have you learned about the Rebels so far? How are you doing vis-a-vis expectations?

Well, first of all, we’re winning big. The Rebels boast the #1 scoring offense and the #2 scoring defense in the conference.

The problem is that most of the great stats end there. The Rebs have done a great job of capitalizing off of the mistakes of Memphis and Southeast Louisiana, but will those mistakes continue? If they don’t, there could be trouble on the horizon for the Rebs. We’re sixth or seventh in most other major team categories, and that’s against two teams that we really have no business playing.

Expectations are a funny thing. I think that at least 80% of our fan base (and 100% of our bloggeurs) don’t believe we deserve our ranking. We have done nothing to prove that we are the #4 team in the country. It’s just the nature of the beast though I guess. When media pollsters want to seem "cool" or "different" by putting a non-perennial power in the top ten, they run the risk of being forced into moving that team up the rankings when teams above them lose. With the losses being handed to USC, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, the Rebels are moving on up based on position alone.

So since there’s still an unanswered question up there, let me try to answer it in just a few more sentences. We have learned that the Rebels have talent. Jevan Snead is still good (although half our fan base disagrees), and our defense is stingy. Our offensive line is struggling.

3. I hear the Rebels are playing well so far defensively, albeit against weak competition. What's the story there? The question mark coming into the season was the secondary. How are they holding up, and how will they perform against a South Carolina passing attack that has played well the past two weeks?

We’re all holding our breath on the secondary. They look like a totally different group from last season, which is excellent. Still, we remember last year, and realize that these are basically all the same players from last year, other than Jamarca Sanford, a safety who we used to stack the box more than actually play coverage (although he was a starter).

We’re playing close to receivers, making plays on the ball, and generally being badasses. Ole Miss is tied second in the SEC in interceptions with 4, and that’s in only two games. I know we’re playing against bad teams, but last year, we couldn’t even defend bad teams through the air. We’re also second in the league in pass defense efficiency and seventh in the league in pass yards per game, up from twelfth last year.

So in short, we’re excited about the pass defense, but I think we’re going to hold off on getting too excited before we play legitimate teams.

4. The Gamecocks hope to return some defensive linemen from suspension and injury this week and will hope to have a strong pass rush. How will the Rebels inexperienced offensive line hold up against Eric Norwood and company?

All of us over at the Cup are scared to death of Eric Norwood. He’s a freak of nature. I certainly don’t think it will be easy against the South Carolina defensive front seven.

If we want to win, we’re going to have to adjust to that and try to get the ball away quickly. Luckily, Jevan has a very quick release. The fact that we often pass from under center should make it difficult for us as well.

Honestly, I’m not going to sugar coat this one. I’m not excited about having to trot out our offensive line versus your defensive line. It’s going to be very difficult.

The one thing I will say is that where our offensive line struggles a little bit in pass protection, they seem to excel in run blocking. They’re relatively good at pushing defenders out of the way to open holes for Brandon Bolden. I’m not sure they will effectively do that with Norwood in the box, but it won’t be as easy as I once thought for Norwood to totally rough up the running game.

5. Who will win this game, and how will it go down?

I mean… I write for an Ole Miss blog. While we try hard not to be homerish (I’m predicting that freaking Arkansas will beat us), there will always be a slight bias. I’m going to say the Rebels win one that’s closer than the ranking would say.

Snead outplays Garcia, but only slightly. Bolden does the same to Giles, who I think is emerging as your feature back. Sure, Maddox is fine, but Giles gives you the extra pop you need at halfback.

Eric Norwood gets at least one sack, but our defense also manages to pick off Garcia and strip at least one ball away from you.

The Rebels by 7.

Rebel Roundup - 9/22/09

The Ghost of Jay Cutler — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:55:05 -0000

Wow, that escalated quickly
Smeargle's FanPost on the idea that our Rebels are overrated really drew the ire out of a ton of us. Fifty comments on a FanPost? Wow. I must admit, I kinda went a bit far by calling a dude out that didn't deserve to be called out, so I'm not without any fault here, but let's all take a few pills and ease on out of there. While disagreement, cussin', and gettin' testy are all welcomed around here, I don't want us to lose sight of the fact that we're all fans of the same team here....well, save for GonzoHog, WallaceWade, ARTiger, Kleph, et cetera, et al, et cetera.

To clarify
Nobody--save for me--did anything wrong. Nobody is getting banninated or warned or any of that. I just see potential for this to go overboard and I don't want it to. Keep on keepin on as you are, just don't take it too far. Kthxbai.

Race to the Roses | Burnt Orange Nation
Although we haven't really done much of anything, being in the top five earns you the right to be in the discussion as a "title contendor."

Monday's Practice | David "The Dastardly Rogue" Brandt
Quickly: Rodney Scott is lookin' solid, Gerald Harris is recovering nicely, and Greg Hardy was in pads. Quoth the gr3gxxz,

"I just know I feel good in the wraps on both feet. I could feel better. I don't feel like Greg Hardy yet. But I do feel like I can contribute to the team."

Ah yes, the use of the third person when the first will suffice. Will I ever grow tired of that enigmatic twist on the English language? And yes, gr3gxxz is "probable" for this Thursday night.

One Play Defines...Ole Miss' TB | AP Wire
This one is almost too short and fairly worthless aside from the fact that it serves as a reminder of Brandon Bolden's second run from scrimmage on Saturday. You surely remember it, don't you? You know, where he stiff-armed some dude's face inside-the-fuck-out? Yeah, that was strong. Bolden says we should expect more of that.

No time to rest for Carolina | TheItem.com
Wait, which Carolina? Because, like, there are two of 'em, aren't there? Okay, jokes about the somewhat haughty claim the Gamecocks have taken over the "Carolina" monniker aside, this is a pretty good look at the health issues facing the Gamecock defense and just how they are preparing for Thursday night's game.

Post Game: SELA

Whiskey Wednesday — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:41:56 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

KTHNXBAI!!!!!!12

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I'll go ahead and tell you upfront: this one's going to be pretty tame. And why not? I get another dose of Rebel football in four days, one that I'm pretty excited and nervous about. So why get myself going too early writing a post-game report about SELA? There were plenty of things to be excited about, nervous about, and just plain confused about. Hit the jump, unless you're a Markeith Summers fan...

First up, quarterbacks (I'll get to you in a minute, Markeith...). I thought Snead was more than adequate in this game, much, much improved over his Memphis effort. He was still a little bit stubborn about going through his progressions, picking up blitzes pre-snap, etc., but his arm and his eyes were much more effective this week. Catch some easy balls that ended up on the ground, and Snead's stats look much better, and most of the haters don't speak up. Even the throw to McCluster that was picked and negated with the interference call... that was fine. Easiest call of the game. The defender knocked Dex out of the way, with the ball still in the air, no question. It was a perfectly aimed ball, even if a little ill-advised.

There isn't a clear-cut superstar halfback in the conference right now, but Brandon Bolden might be the best all-around back in the SEC. Feed him the ball. Nomnomnomnomnom.

Cordera Eason and Enrique Davis both had scampers for scores that made the defense look silly, but both probably would have been eaten up for a loss by a decent team. Again: Bolden. Nomnomnom. 20 carries/game. Do it. Also, Tim Simon still wants to play.

Is losing Hartman for a while a big deal? I can't decide. He can certainly blow up a linebacker or three, but it seems like he misses his assignment sometimes, or doesn't square up properly. You shouldn't see defenders sliding off of the fullback's block so easily to get to the ball carrier. We seem like we have a deep stable of walk-ons from Tennessee private schools with rich parents and attitude problems. Let's give them a shot, and I think we'll be fine.

Receivers... Oh heavens, where to start? You were all pretty terrible, those of you not named Shay Hodge, Jesse Grandy, and Pat Patterson. I suppose that Jesse Grandy needs to prove at some point that he's a threat to catch a pass downfield, because people will start to realize pretty quickly why he's...

WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST TO BRING YOU AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: SHAY HODGE, WIDE RECEIVER FOR THE OLE MISS REBELS, IS A TOTAL BADASS. THANK YOU. WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULAR SCHEDULED PROGRAM.

...and that's how I discovered that Mark May was a transvestite. Where were we? Oh, receivers. Markeith Summers, Lionel Breaux, and Dexter McCluster all had pretty bad drops. Will that happen every week? Of course not. Did Pat Patterson just make Breaux and Summers look a lot less useful? You bet he did. He'll be making layout grabs and offering piggyback rides to defensive backs for a long time.

It was good to see Ferbia Allen earn some of Snead's trust, grabbing a couple of passes when Snead had Shay Hodge downfield with only 3 guys on him. I noticed that Allen and EJ Epperson both lined up more as H-backs at times, which was a look I hadn't noticed with Gerald Harris before. I don't know if that might be indicative of how he wants to use those two down the road, or not.

The offensive line: I wasn't paying attention to you. Every time I try to look at you, I miss a touchdown pass or something. Sorry, no offense, it's just that I like touchdown passes and I don't like fat people. You allowed one sack, and I feel like that was probably Snead's fault, because he looks at linebackers showing blitz, and thinks "yeah, I totally got that guy." Eat your Wheaties this week, because Eric Norwood is pretty good at football.

The defensive line is playing well, but not as well as last year. This has nothing to do with Peria Jerry, really; Powe has been our best lineman this year. This has more to do with the defensive ends over-pursuing and only using outside moves. Stay at home sometimes, guys. Don't try for a sack on every play, because sometimes, the quarterback will hand it to the short, fast, muscle-y guy standing next to him, and he'll run right past where you were two seconds ago. You can ask Coach Nix to tell you what a 'draw' is, though I'm not sure he knows himself.

You know what works against draws? Linebackers! Except not for ours. On any given draw play, our linebackers have erected a table somewhere in the back corner of the field, and are discussing the societal ramifications of the changing demographic landscape of Europe, enjoying a delightful cup of chamomile. With a dash of soy milk. Cream does a number on Allen Walker's sensitive stomach, after all. Seriously though. The draw play. It's killing me. The quarterback slips the ball to the running back, I look up field and I clench: uhohuhohuhoh OHNO SOMETHING'S WRONG!!! Because nobody's there. Fix. That. Shit. The jury may still be out on Stephen Garcia, but by God, he can pretend like he's passing, and then hand it off.

Secondary was fine. Johnny Brown looks like a superhero again, because he's having to tackle running backs all the time because NOBODY ELSE WOULD!

Marshay. Marshay, Marshay, Marshay. You set the record for "amount I've screamed at a player while up a million to 3."

3 botched punts? Really?

Speaking of punts... must we go there? Andrew Ritter and Tyler Campbell want your job, dude.

While that's all I have from the actual game, here are some Grove notes:

Grove etiquette (that means "manners"): Don't walk through someone else's tent, say "Excuse Me!" with an implied exclamation point, as if they are in your way. GTFO.

To the two fellows, also walking through our tent, who tried to start a fight upon being asked to cut the colorful language while in mixed company: I know that orange polo shirts were probably on an awesome sale at Old Navy, and that giant brass fishing hooks look bitchin' when perched on the bill of a camo visor, but please, go crawl back into the dark recesses of Lafayette County from whence you came. And cut the jew-fro; you look ridiculous. Not like a "grown-ass man" as you so eloquently described yourself. I don't fight inbreds in the mud while wearing my nice shoes, thanks.

To the 4 year-old girl who darted through our conversational circle, galoshes caked in mud, distressed look on your face: I hope you found your parents.

Let me know what you thought of the game, the Grove, the 58k we had in VHS for a DII school (crazy, huh?), etc. Have a nice weekend, and Hotty Toddy.