A look back: Sept. 15th / Vandy

Sept. 15

Ole Miss has played on four Sept. 15th's. (1-2-1). In 1973, Ole Miss traveled to Columbia, MO. The Rebels lost to the Tigers 0-17. In 1979, Ole Miss started the season with a victory over Memphis State in Memphis by a score of 38-34. Ole Miss tied Arkansas in 1984, 14-14, in Little Rock. Finally in 1990, Ole Miss lost to Auburn in Jackson, 14-20.

Here is a look at those seasons:

1973-

Coaches: Kinard, Vaught

Record: 6-5

Notable Wins: Tennessee (Jackson) 28-18

1979-

Coach:Sloan

Record:4-7

Notable Wins: Tennessee(Jackson) 44-20

1984-

Coach: Brewer

Record:4-6-1

Notable Wins: None

1990-

Coach: Brewer

Record: 9-3

Notable Wins: Arkansas (Little Rock) 21-17 / Georgia (Athens) 28-12/ LSU (Baton Rouge) 19-10

Vandy:

Despite the fact that Ole Miss leads the series with Vandy, the Vandy v. Ole Miss game has become an exciting, nail biting experience. The most memorable Ole Miss Vandy game came on Oct 28, 1989 in Oxford. Chuck Mullins was severely injured and later died from a massive hit in that game.

Some other memorable Ole Miss /Vandy games:

• 1990- Ole Miss 14 Vandy 13 (Nashville)


• 1991- Vandy 30 Ole Miss 27 (Oxford)


• 1999- Vandy37 Ole Miss 34 (Oxford) (OT)


• 2002- Ole Miss 45 Vandy 38 (Oxford)


• 2003- Ole Miss 24 Vandy 21(Nashville)


• 2004- Ole Miss 26 Vandy 23 (Oxford)

Missouri fans talk about the game, Ole Miss & the Grove

(1) With a big lead in the 3rd, were you happy with the final outcome of the game?
no--FieldHouseDrinker
Only idiots aren't happy with Wins... YES!--AWOLTiger
A win is a win, but not happy the way our defense let Ole Miss back in the game.--ozarkdave
Obviously happy with a win but...........not pleased (again) with 2nd half. We've got some work to do.--Panthera
(2) If you attended the game, what did you think of the Grove? (Did it live up to all the hype?)
great and yes--FieldHouseDrinker
Didn't attend, but heard great observations from others.--AWOLTiger
The Grove surpassed the hype. It was great!!!--ozarkdave
The Grove is awesome and for me definately lived up to the hype--Panthera
(3) If you attended the game, what did you think of our campus?
didn't see much other than the grove and the stadium--FieldHouseDrinker
Beautiful campus and even more beautiful co-eds.--ozarkdave
Beautiful--Panthera
(4) If you attended the game, what did you think of our facilities?
stadium was very nice. Good sight lines, short bathroom lines.--FieldHouseDrinker
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was nice but our north end zone seats were hard to find.--ozarkdave
Thought the stadium was just fine and loved the shuttles giving rides!!--
(5) Would you like to play Ole Miss as a regular OOC foe in the future?
definitely--FieldHouseDrinker
Yeah, but our AD is limiting our OOC to one Div1 opponent.--AWOLTiger
Yes.--ozarkdave, Panthera
(6) What impressed you the most about Ole Miss this year?
the girls--FieldHouseDrinker
Seemed to have improved quite a bit.--AWOLTiger
Your beautiful co-eds in dresses and high heels!!!--ozarkdave
Don't know how to answer that one. I think you guys are getting some better athletes. Most of the fans I talked to before during and after the game are not happy with the coach--Panthera

Monday Morning Thoughts

Missouri game:

I had some time to think about the game on the drive back from Oxford. I've decided that our team is headed in the right direction. I'm hoping that the 3rd quarter Saturday will be the turning point back to bowling and winning seasons.

Missouri fans that I met were very nice and seemed to enjoy Ole Miss and the Grove.

For a Missouri perspective on the Grove go here. (The video is on the Right and it takes a few moments to load)

National Rankings after the Missouri Game:

Players:

Rushing:

BenJarvis Green-Ellis National Rank: #10 Yards per game: 152.50

Passing Efficiency:

Seth Adams National Rank: #41 Percentage: 59.15 Rating: 134.8

Total Offense:

Seth Adams National Rank: #46 Yards per game: 249.5

Receptions Per Game:

Mike Wallace National Rank: #62 Receptions per game: 5.50

Marshay Green National Rank: #92 Receptions per game: 5.00

Receiving Yards Per Game:

Mike Wallace National Rank: #26 Yards per game: 92

Interceptions:

Dustin Mouzon National Rank: #3 Interceptions: 2

Ashlee Palmer National Rank: #31 Interceptions: 1

Punting:

Justin Sparks National Rank: #32 Average Yards per punt: 45.50

Kickoff Returns:

Marshay Green National Rank: #71 Average Return Yards: 22.29

Field Goals:

Joshua Shene National Rank: #78 Field Goals Made: 1

All Purpose Runners:

BenJarvus Green-Ellis National Rank: #41 Yards per game: 152.50

Marshay Green National Rank: #56 Yards per game: 138.50

Points Responsible For:

Seth Adams National Rank: #54 Points per game: 12

Passing:

Seth Adams National Rank: #30

Total Yards Passing:

Seth Adams National Rank:# 24 Passing Yards: 506

Passing Yards Per Game:

Seth Adams National Rank:#29 Passing Yards per game: 253.00

Total Receiving Yards:

Mike Wallace National Rank: #25 Receiving Yards: 184

Total Tackles:

Ashlee Palmer National Rank: #15 Total tackles: 24

Greg Hardy National Rank: #36 Total tackles: 20

Jamarca Stanford National Rank: #36 Total tackles: 20

Kendrick Lewis National Rank: #95 Total tackles: 17

Solo Tackles:

Greg Hardy National Rank: #31 Solo: 13

Jamarca Stanford National Rank: #31 Solo: 13

Ashlee Palmer National Rank:#31 Solo:13

Terrell Jackson National Rank: #86 Solo: 11

Pass Sacks:

Greg Hardy National Rank: #9 PG: 1

Daverin Geralds National Rank:#99 PG:.50

Forced Fumbles:

Jamarca Stanford National Rank:#17 Forced Fumbles: 1

Passes Defended National Rank:#26 Total passes defended: 3

Dustin Mouzon National Rank:#26 Total passes defended: 3

Jamarca Stanford National Rank:#72 Total passes defended: 2

Tackle for Loss:

Greg Hardy National Rank:#9 PG: 2

Ashlee Palmer National Rank: #31 PG:1.75

Teams:

Rushing Offense: National Rank: #59 Yards per game: 151.50

Passing Offense: National Rank: #37 Yards per game: 253.00

Total Offense: National Rank: #51 Yards per game: 404.50

Scoring Offense: National Rank: #71 Points per game: 24.00

Rushing Defense: National Rank: #78 Yards per game: 171.00

Pass Defense: National Rank: #110 Yards per game: 336.50

Total Defense: National Rank: #109 Yards per game: 507.50

Scoring Defense: National Rank: #83 Points per game: 29.5

Net Punting: National Rank: #45 Net average: 36.63

Punt Returns: National Rank: #4 Average yards: 28.00

Kickoff Returns: National Rank: #73 Average: 20.70

Turnover Margin: National Rank: #51 Margin: 0

Fumbles Recovered: National Rank: #56 Number recovered: 1

Passes Intercepted: National Rank: #7 Number intercepted: 4

Fumbles Lost: National Rank: # 110 Fumbles lost: 4

Passes had intercepted: National Rank: #30 Passed had intercepted: 1

Turnovers gained: National Rank: #18 Gained: 5

Turnovers lost: National Rank: #86 Lost: 5

Passing Efficiency: National Rank: #41 Rating: 134.84

Pass Efficiency Defense: National Rank: #83 Rating: 134.90

Fewest Penalties per game: National Rank: #25 Per game: 5.50

Fewest Yards Penalized per game: National Rank: #11 Yards per game: 33.00

Punt returns Defense: National Rank: #44 Yards per return: 6.75

Kickoff returns defense: National Rank: #86 Yards per return: 23.63

Sacks: National Rank: #65 Sacks per game: 3.0

Tackles for loss: National Rank: #38 PG : 7.0

Sacks allowed: National Rank: #45 PG 1.50

Tackles for loss allowed: National Rank: #42 PG 5.00

3rd down Percentage: National Rank: #47 PG: 44.0

4th down Percentage: National Rank: #70 PG: 33.3

3rd down Percentage Defense: National Rank: #95 PG: 46.9

4th down Percentage Defense: National Rank: #79 PG: 66.7

Time of Possession: National Rank: #76 PG: 28:59

Vandy:

I've asked Vandy fans some questions about this weekend's game. I will post them as soon as I have responses.

The thing that stands out the most to me is that Bama's RB Grant ran for 173 yards against Vandy last week. Maybe BJGE will have another outstanding game this weekend.

It's nice to be back at Ole Miss

After a long 8 hour drive from Ohio to Oxford, I am glad to be back at Ole Miss. We set up our tent for the first time ourselves. I wasn't sure what to expect. We got to the Grove around 11:00pm and the vast majority of tents had already been set up. They must have let people start early. We still found a good spot and it was a breeze setting up the tent.

We saw the new ribbon boards from a distance and they look good!

I've only seen a handful or Missouri fans. It doesn't look like many made the trip down here. They don't know what they are missing...

Oh, the fried pickles are awesome at Ajax. We use to get them at the Sonic growing up. They were called Pickle-O's. Anyone else remember those?

Go Rebels, Off to the game

I'm packed and I am ready. I am heading off to see the Rebels meet the Tigers in Oxford. I'll be making my way from Ohio, through Kentucky, on through Tennessee and finally into Oxford. I hope that the Rebs show good improvement from last week.

I'll see you in the GROVE.

HOTTY TODDY

Mizzou: Welcome To Oxford and Ole Miss

Welcome to our place, Tiger fans. We are very proud of our campus and traditions. This blog is a brief introduction to Oxford and Ole Miss.





To get started watch the video below on Oxford:



What about food?




Oxford has many unique locally owned restaurants. So drive past those chains on West Jackson Ave and make your way to the square. You can't go wrong with some down home southern cooking at Ajax on the square. Another good place is City Grocery, also on the square. For a list of places to eat, check out the Oxford Dining Guide.


Other links to look at on Oxford:

• New York times article: Journeys;36 Hours Oxford, Miss.
• Oxford Convention & Visitors Bureau: Itineraries to Consider
• Wikipedia: Oxford, Mississippi
• WikiTravel: Oxford, Mississippi

The Grove:



To reach tailgating heaven make your way to the Grove. There is no way to describe the Grove on a football Saturday. You have to experience it yourself. Once you do, you will understand how this is one of the top sporting experiences in the country.




A "must do" in the Grove is the Band Pep Rally one hour and twenty minutes prior to kickoff. Make your way to the Victorian building (Ventress Hall), stand just in front of the stage and get ready to see this:




It's ok to get goose bumbs, even if you are the opposing team.

CNN visited the Grove back in 2003 and filed this report:





The Alumni Association put together a video on the Grove. It's in two parts below:

Part I





Part II






If you would like to tailgate in the grove here are a few things to consider:

• The Grove opens midnight Friday and has a 15 minute unloading zone.
  
• No space is reserved and can be claimed on a first come basis
  
• Portable generators are not allowed.
  
• Open Flames are prohibited
  
• The team walks through the Grove two hours before kickoff.
  
• For more info visit: Tailgating in The Grove.
  

Hotty Toddy:

Hotty Toddy is an Ole Miss Cheer. Here is how it works:
Someone shouts "Are you ready" and the crowd yells:

Hell Yes, Damn Right

Hotty Toddy Gosh Almighty

Who the Hell are We?

Flim Flam, Bim Bam

Ole Miss, By Damn

For more information on Ole Miss Traditions visit the official Ole Miss website.

I hope everyone that makes it to Oxford this year has a great time while visiting the city and while tailgating. I just hope you have a miserable time at the game!

Q & A with RT from Every True Son

I recently had a Q &A session with RT from Every True Son, a Missouri Blogger. Below are his answers to my quesitons:

(1) Reading the Missouri message Boards it doesn't seem your fans are that excited about our game this year. Is this true or am I not finding the right message boards?

RT: It's hard to say because Missouri fans generally fall into two categories: 1) The eternal pessimist (who will tell you Missouri is walking into a MAJOR trap in Oxford, which, perhaps they are) and 2) the Mizzou kool-aid binge drinker, who debuted this year now that the team is expected to be halfway decent. I think the fans are less excited because this seems like a no-win situation. Missouri fans, myself included, think the Missouri should beat Ole Miss. If Mizzou wins, everything is like it should be. If Mizzou loses, it's "here we go again." I think there is less excitement this year than last because Mizzou felt like they had something to prove against a BCS-conference opponent last year. This year, I think Mizzou fans think the point has been made, and the Tigers have only something to lose.

(2) What did you think of Tyler Luellen's comments on Chris Strong?

RT: As much as Missouri did NOT need to throw out any bulletin board material before a road game in the SEC, Luellen might have a point. Last week, the Mizzou offense spread out and wore out an underrated Illinois defense. However, Illinois MLB J Leman had one hell of a game against Missouri, finishing the day with 20 tackles. But, even with 20 tackles, he did not have that big of an impact on the Mizzou offense. Missouri went four- or five-wide on nearly every play and ran hooks and outs to death, forcing linebackers all over the field. I fully expect this to happen in Oxford. But again, I'm not particularly happy Luellen gave a 280-pound MLB even MORE reason to want to decapitate Chase Daniel.

(3) How do you think your close win against Illinois will affect you this week?

RT:It's hard to say, because you never know which Mizzou team will show up and for how long. Hopefully, last week's escape forced the team to focus on running the ball, stopping the run, wrapping up on defense and improving the red zone offense. If Ole Miss dominates the line of scrimmage the way Illinois did last week, BenJarvus Green-Ellis is going to rip apart this defense and the Mizzou running game will once again be worthless. However, traditionally Missouri finds a way to choke away games like the one last week, so maybe holding on for that win is one small step and one small sign that this is a different Missouri Tiger football team.

(4) Your offensive seems to be your strong point this year, tells us about your special teams and defense.

RT: No doubt the offense is the team's strength, but don't look at Mizzou's 40 points last week and think it was all on one side of the ball. In fact, 13 points came from a 66-yard punt return for touchdown and a 100-plus-yard fumble return for touchdown. Throw in three points off a special teams fumble recovery that led to a half-ending FG on a two-play drive, and the Missouri offense attributed for about 24 points. On special teams, the aforementioned Maclin is a burner and a threat every time he touches the ball, one year removed from a devestating ACL injury in camp that cost him his freshman season last year. Jeff Wolfert is an outstanding kicker, and Adam Crossett has one of the strongest legs in the conference - but can never control it. Throw in poor blocking, bad snaps, Crossett's inconsistency, and the punting game is an adventure every time out.
The MU defense is quite an enigma. The squad allowed Illinois and its backup, redshirt freshman quarterback to run ALL over the defense in the second half. The linemen got blown off the line of scrimmage and there were massive gaps for runs and large seams for passes. The linebacking corps is athletic but inexperienced, and can follow an outstanding play with a blown coverage that kills momentum. The secondary played fairly well against Illinois, especially considering the amount of time Illinois had to throw the ball. I would tell your fans to keep an eye on LB Sean Weatherspoon and DB Pig Brown, who was recently named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
But for MU to meet any expectations this year, they MUST find a way to stop the run and wrap up rather than trying to tackle the ball. How Mizzou adjusts to Ole Miss should be very telling.

(5) How many Missouri fans do you expect to make the trip to Oxford?

RT: To be honest, I really do not know. The Alumni Association has been organizing trips and tailgates to bus people down and back because they know what an amazing experience a game in The Grove is for college football fans. I've tried to get a feel for the numbers, but any number I could give you would be a complete guess. There will be a decent presence, but don't expect an avalanche of black and gold come Saturday.

(6) What is your prediction for the game?

RT: Mizzou 31, Ole Miss 17 - Green-Ellis has a big day, but it doesn't matter once Mizzou takes the lead and the game is in the hands of Seth Adams.

To view my responses to his questions, click here.

Is Missouri taking Ole Miss seriously?

Last year was a good old fashion beating by Missouri. It was the kind where you turn off the TV or radio early and go try to find something to keep your mind off football. It was our worst game of last season. As a result, I think Missouri might be lulled into a sense of false security.

Towards the end of last season we improved greatly. We lost to Alabama and LSU in overtime (both away from home), we took Georgia and Auburn to the wire and came very close to going to a bowl game. Our 4-8 record last year was a bit deceiving. True, the media and pundits pick us towards the bottom of the SEC west again this year. Most of this due to our youth and having the nation's 3rd toughest (CBS) schedule.

I don't know if Missouri realises how dangerous we are. I've been surfing message boards, blogs and news articles. There hasn't been much discussion of the game on MO's Scout or Spirit site. Here is one prediction I found:

"Missouri should score 45+If you allow that many passing yards to Memphis, then
Daniel should have a field day. Missouri isn't happy with Saturday's finish....
they will be out to play much better. Missouri 45 Ole Miss 19"

There have been a few Missouri fans who've posted that they think it will be a difficult game. Yet still the message boards don't seem to be hopping.

If the fans aren't talking much trash, the players are. Offensive tackle Tyler Luellen, talking about Chris Strong, said this:

“It’s going to be rough for him. With as fast as our offense is, he’s going to
be running a lot. They’re going to need to be subbing a lot or something, I
don’t know, to keep him going.”

Maybe Missouri will drop mule leaflets on the players this week in practice like Tennessee did many years ago. wink wink

I personally like all of the non-attention from Missouri and its fans. In the past it has worked to our advantage. Could Missouri whip our tails again this year? Sure. However, I get the feeling we may be getting a lot more attention in Missouri when the game ends.

Missouri

It's time to focus on our next foe, the Missouri Tigers. Missouri comes into town with high expectations this year. They are the pre-season favorite to win the Big XII north.
Last year Ole Miss played a horrible game in Columbia and the Tigers took it to the Rebs. This year the Rebels will be looking for revenge.
Missouri's first game was a lot like the Rebels' first game. They started off strong and fizzled towards the end. They held off Illinois in the last few minutes to win.
This will be the first trip to Oxford for Missouri. Ole Miss and Missouri played in Jackson in the 70's. The lone win against Missouri for the Rebels came in Jackson.

Here are a few Missouri resources:

Behind the Strips- A blog written by Dave Matter. Here are his early thoughts on the game:

As of this morning, I can't get a read on this game. Missouri's defense
overwhelmed Ole Miss last season, but with Adams managing the offense, I think
the Rebels will be in fewer third-and-long passing situations and Green-Ellis
will be more of a factor. I didn't think he was particularly explosive last year
when he rushed for 69 yards on 16 carries. Under third-year Coach Ed Orgeron,
whose weekly media conference is pushed back to tomorrow for the holiday, the
Rebels have gone 6-7 at home, with wins over The Citadel, Kentucky, Memphis,
Vanderbilt, Northwestern, La., State and Mississippi State. I'm leaning toward a
close Missouri victory.

Tiger Tracker- A Missouri Blog from STLtoday.com

Every True Son- A Blog from a Missouri Fan

KansasCity.com's Missouri page

St. Louis Dispatch Missouri Page

Columbia Tribune Missouri Page

The Maneater- Student Newspaper

The TigerBoard

Missouri Fans' Comments on the game

Are you Ready?

It's Football Eve. We've been waiting a long time for tomorrow and it's almost here. The possibilities, the what if's, the chest pounding and the expectations will soon be replaced with reality.

There has been a lot of discussion on the message boards on how the Rebels will do this year. Many feel that with our tough schedule we will yet again be bowless at season end. Others, myself included ,see us as being a bit underrated. Will this be the year we win 6 and head back to Shreveport? I say YES.

Win 6, against who, you ask. Well let me tell you.

We will beat Memphis, Vandy, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern St & Miss. State. We will also beat at least one of the following teams at home: Missouri, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas or yes even LSU.

That's my Football Eve Prediction.

**Disclaimer: I have the write to change my prediction if and when we don't win 6 this year.

Ole Miss defeats #20 Missouri in Volleyball

The Ole Miss Rebel Volleyball team started the season off on a high note by defeating #20 Missouri in Oxford 3-2. A large crowd of fans cheered the Rebels passed the Tigers 16-14 in the fifth game. The Rebels will continue play tomorrow at 10:30am in the Magnolia Invitational against Arkansas State.

Ole Miss: Your thoughts on the Missouri game.

As a follow up to my "Ole Miss v. Missouri- What are the Mizzou fans saying? ", I've asked Ole Miss fans on Rivals and Spirit a serious a question about Missouri.




(1) If you made the trip last year, what did you think of the city, University and stadium?

"Been there, everything ok, stadium somewhat bare"--thp023 (Spirit)

"Didn't make the trip last year, but I've been to the area and it is nice." --AlohaReb (Spirit)

"City -- Pretty nice with easily noticeable bad areas; very cool downtown bar scene; really enjoyed my time" --TheRebelAS (Rivals)

"I stayed just outside Columbia, and loved it. weather was great, people were nice, and fishing was unbelievable. I like their stadium for the most part. it had a cozy kind of feel. site lines weren't the greatest but not as bad as sitting in the upper deck of some SEC beohemuth like Neyland Stadium." --KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(2) What are you thoughts on this year's game?

"Mizzou should be a very good team this year, but they are historically horrible on the road (remember their trip to Troy a couple years ago). This, plus it being our first home games, gives me hope we may sneak out of there with a win. " -- TheRebelAS (Rivals)

"I think in keeping with our policy, we’ve played a dud program at its 25 year peak. (cf. Baylor, Wake Forest, Wyoming, etc..). We have a knack for that. They had the talent to win five more games the last two years but not the character. I don’t think they’ll get our deer-in-the-headlights game two years in a row. Ole Miss wins." --GeorgePosey(Rivals)

"This yrs game-Ole Miss wins." --thp023 (Spirit)

"They will be tough. Orgeron MUST win this game. It is our home opener. They humiliated us last year." --MidtownReb(Spirit)

"They are good and we'll have to be better than I think we'll be early this season to beat them. They are serious contenders for the Big 12 North championship." --VampirReb (Spirit)

"We get slaughtered" --cogburn8 (Spirit)

"Missouri wins but it's closer than last year. I will say 31 - 21 Missouri." --AlohaReb (Spirit)

"It's a big game. We will probably be the underdogs and will need to bring our A game. I think our OL and DL will definitely make it a closer game than last year plus home field advantage. It will be a fun game." --JaySuede(Spirit)

"I obviously hope for a different outcome. I think we'll be able to run well and our Defense will be much better particularly on the line where so many Fr were playing last year. I just hope we can slow down Chase Daniels "--KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(3) What do you think about MO fans?

"Don't know anything about them" --MidtownReb (Spirit)

"Seem decent" --cogburn8 (Spirit)

"They seem like friendly people to me." --AlohaReb(Spirit)

"Definitely a different crowd! I saw my fair share of denim shorts, washer pitching, and beanbag tosses." --TheRebelAS (Rivals)

"Most were friendly and did their smack talking in a good natured way. "--KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(4) Would you like to play MO again in the future?

"Sure, but not anytime soon. I'd like to play some Texas schools if we're going to play the Big XII." --TheRebelAS (Rivals)

"Not much. Rather play Wake Forest again. But if they'll both go back to normal until we run up a 20-2 record against them, I could live with it." --GeorgePosey (Rivals)

"Yes. I think this could be a good game for both teams in the future." --AlohaReb (Spirit)

"Rather play Texas in '09." --VampirReb(Spirit)

"not particularly" --MidTownReb(Spirit)

"sure. I'd love to see us get a variety of teams from OOC but playing Mizzou again in a few years would be fine with me."--KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(5) What do you respect about MO?

"Good football tradition" --thp023 (Spirit)

"great school, nice college town" --MidtownReb(Spirit)

"Once had one of the best football programs and HC in the country. Alot of big time tradition but like us, you gotta go pretty far back to know it." VampirReb (Spirit)

"They are a team that seems to be on the rise in the Big 12." --AlohaReb(Spirit)

"The Cardinals, Six Flags, Branson, the Arch, Budweiser, the Fox theater in St. Louis" --JaySuede(Spirit)

"Journalism school. Distinguished past alums. Nice weather. " --GeorgePosey (Rivals)

"They seem to have a lot of pride in their football team and their school." --TheRebelAS

"The fans (one I met anyway)" --KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(6) What do you dislike about MO?

"they beat us last year." --thp023 (Spirit)

"that they trampled us last year" --MidtownReb(Spirit)

"Aside from my views on denim shorts and pregame activities differing, not a lot." --TheRebelAS
To join in the discussion visit:

Ole Miss Spirit

Ole Miss Rivals

Ole Miss v. Missouri- What are the Mizzou fans saying?

What do the Mizzou fans think of our upcoming game? I posted a few questions on both the Mizzou Scout and Rivals site. Here is what they are saying:



Question:


What are your thoughts on our game in Sept?

• "I think most of us know this will be a tougher game than some may expect. Playing in your house will not make things easy on us, but I think most of us still expect a win. "



• "Can't wait for that game,on the road in the SEC,should be a great game."



• "This game worries me, we could be walking into an ambush down there. I think our boys will have their dander up and will play well, but so will the Rebs in front of their home crowd."
  

Question:


How many are planning to visit Oxford?

• "I cannot attend this game, I am having surgery on my foot and will likely not be recovered by then. Otherwise I wouldnt miss it. I have almost memorable southern breakfast in Oxford several years ago. I forgot the name of the place. Anyway it seems an awful lot of Tiger fans are making the trip. "



• "We've got a group of 6 to 12 that will be strolling through the Grove pre-game and hoping to see an MU road win, which has never been a gimme in the last 20 years or so. "

Question:

What are your strengths/weaknesses this year?

• "Strengths;Basically our O is going to be tough to stop for anybody.QB,WR,TB,TE is solid.OL should get the job done as well.A Special Teams;Always a ? but should be better than average.Defense;Our interior line will be tough,the question is our end play.True LBs are now in place and should be good.One corner spot is solid,looking for a player to step up on the other side.Safeties will be deep."



• "We will have their dander up and will play well, but so will the Rebs in front of their home crowd. I think our offense will be hard to stop. Ole Miss is breaking in quite a few new guys, you will have a different QB than we saw last year in Columbia."



• "Strength is def. our offense. Touting probably a top 5 Nationally rated offense led by Chase Daniel and our 1-2 TE punch, there is also a VERY deep WR core and an experienced OL. If Temple continues to run like he did in the Sun Bowl this offense might give a few DC's nightmares.



• Weakness: I think most would say defense but I think our Defense will be alright. My concern is special teams. We were horrible on punting and allowed other teams to have premium field position to start from. This problem needs to get fixed, as well as our return game. We have not run one back since... what, the 80's? hah. The highlight to our Specialist however, is our kicker. Semi-finalist for the Groza award last year, Jeff Wolfert was 100% on PAT's and only missed two field goals all year (99 pts total). Oh and I met his older sister, she's a hottie. But I digress..."



• "Missouri returns one of the upper-echelon offenses in the country this year, returning a 3,000 yard passer and a 1,000 yard rusher, and a pretty good set of receivers, led by our tight end tandem of Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman. Will Franklin would be our best WR at this point. Mizzou is also pretty solid up front too, returning four starters and another few that started at least one game last season.



• Mizzou should be better on defense. We might not have an overall upgrade in talent, but we have guys that are more natural players at their positions, especially at linebacker. The only seriously troublesome spot on the defense is at DE, and maybe a second CB on the other side of Darnell Terrell. Have to see who steps up. LB's will be pretty green, but I honestly think we're talented enough there to compete."

Question:


Do you think the game will be a blow out again this year or do you think it might be closer?

• "I can't honestly say if this game will be very close or not."



• "Overall, I see this being a closer game, since we'll be playing on the road at an SEC school, but given the fact that Ole Miss lost two above-avg. LB's after last season, and some other key players on defense, I tend to think we should probably win by 14-17 points. The only guy on OM's offense that would make me lose sleep is Green-Ellis, but I can see MU stacking the box with 8-9 guys to stop him."



• "Not looking for a blow out on the road.35-24 sounds about right."
  

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