What Should the Meme be?

by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Dec 1, 2009 11:10 AM EST Comment 22 comments

I'm pretty tired of all of this. I'm pretty tired of having to defend Houston Nutt and I'm pretty tired of having to defend my alma mater for hiring the guy. But, let me say this again: Houston Nutt does not fail under expectations. Or, at least this letdown of a season isn't so much his fault in particular.

"Now, Ghost, how can you say that, especially after having seen the season that just transpired? And look at what he did at Arkansas!"

Well, first of all, the notion of failed expectations at Arkansas was proven completely bunk by the gentle sirs at Team Speed Kills months ago. And secondly, as I have argued before, collapsing under pressure is hardly a Houston Nutt issue; it's an Ole Miss issue, and it has been such since before any one of we Cuppers were even born.

Yet, despite this, message board posters, mainstream media types, bloggers, and anyone with an outlet for their (misguided) opinions on college football continue to beat the "Houston Nutt doesn't win under pressure" drum. Here, once again, are some pieces which should really be required reading for anybody attempting to follow, cover, or even understand Ole Miss Rebel athletics:

Pay special attention to that last article. Did you notice how it read:

Judging from the Ole Miss schedule, nothing else much should bug Archie or his teammates this season...Moreover, seven of the 10 games will be played on one or the other of Ole Miss' three "home" fields—in Memphis, Jackson and Oxford. If the Rebs get past Alabama on Oct. 3 in Jackson, they should be unbeaten going into their final—and most challenging—game, against LSU on Dec. 5 in Baton Rouge's howling Tiger Stadium. Oh, yes, freshmen, one more thing: plan on spending New Year's Day at a bowl game.

Did you? Is that not almost the exact same language we saw in just about every one of this season's preview magazines? History repeats itself again.

Oh, and for those who aren't aware, the Rebels finished 7-3 that year with losses to Southern Miss, State, and LSU. They didn't go bowling.

So, for disgruntled Rebel fans, groupthink-shackled media folks, and stupid ass SEC rivals, don't take the easy way out. This especially goes out to my fellow sporters of the Yale Blue and Harvard Crimson. Let's take a frank look at ourselves here: we all, against our best judgement, bought into the Rebel hype this year. Most of us cannot recall a time when the gridiron Rebels were so highly thought of by the mainstream sports media and we let it get to our heads. We all knew, somewhere deep inside, that this would likely all come crashing down. But we suppressed that because, "hey, this is fun, what with ESPN saying all of these neat things about us and Jevan Snead!!11"

I know it is going to sting a little, but say it with me: "So long as Ole Miss is favored to win something, it won't. Ever. There is something longstanding and subliminal about our sports programs which will ensure this. We'll continue to lose games, yet never lose parties."

No, I truly posit that this season is not Houston Nutt's fault. Such a line of thinking is exactly along the lines of Arkansas fans--along with some outsiders--claiming that Houston Nutt is not good at coaching his team during bowl games. They, of course, are using his 2-6 bowl record while the head coach of the Razorbacks as their argument's basis; but that completely ignores the fact that, as a program, Arkansas has always been poor in postseason play. Before Nutt even arrived to coach in Fayetteville, the Hogs "boasted" a 9-16-3 (.321 winning percentage) record in bowl play. It is easy for them to say "Coach Nutt lost those bowl games." It isn't so easy to say "there is seriously some longstanding, institutional problem with our football program which is not at all looking to change anytime soon."

I'm sorry, Rebels. We are...Ole Miss. Again.

Oh yes, I do very much realize that this is a fairly pathetic, defeatist attitude. But until any Ole Miss athletics program give me reason to approach Rebel athletics in a different manner, this will be my take. I know that's not exactly "changing the culture of Ole Miss athletics," but, considering our stereotypical ineptitude towards change, it's more appropriate than most of us are willing to admit.

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Way to be a

Debbie Downer.

by OxfordAndrew on Dec 1, 2009 11:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I don't believe it is because "We Are Ole Miss"

Was the preseason hype overinflated? Obviously we can say that now in retrospect but there was some crucial assumptions made there, by the media (PS) as well as by those of use who believed our season could be special.

First and foremost, was that any recruiting deficiencies at Offensive Line could be coached away. I think its a valid assumption; however, it was not to be. We did not have an SEC caliber line for most of the year.

Secondly, was that any deficiencies within the OL could be managed by replacing Mike Wallace at WR with a number of candidates, none of whom stepped up, or at the very least, showed the same rapport with Snead that Wallace did.

Third, and finally, was that Bolden was an SEC back. Can he become one? I’m not entirely sure at this point, who is going to fill the void without McCluster and Hodge.

Is Nutt to blame? I suppose he can take the brunt of the MSU loss. We were outplayed, for whatever reason.

For the season, I have to look at the turmoil from the post-Eli hangover. Cutcliffe’s last lame duck season, the O error, and the transition from O to Nutt.

The fact of the matter is this: We have 8 wins in back to back seasons for the first time since the SEC schedule went to 12 games. (in ‘89 and ’90 we won 8 and 9 respectively).
We are going to the Cotton Bowl again so it is also the first time we’ve gone to two major bowls in back to back seasons since perhaps ’69 – ’70.

In conclusion: Fuck if I know.

by Thile on Dec 1, 2009 11:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

You make me smile.

Just wanted you to know that in the past week or so, I distinctly remember smiling after a post signed, “Thile (f$%# if I know what that means)” and this is no different. Cheers to you!

by Role Player on Dec 1, 2009 11:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Watch the lines.

That’s my only advice. We had a world class D-line this year but not so much for an O-line. That’s where you win in the SEC. Florida and Bama both had playmakers, but they were so successful because they were the best up front.

It’s like the adage in baseball that you want your defense up the middle (center, 2nd, SS, catcher). Well, you want your best to be on the lines in the SEC. I feel like we’ve brought in a solid OL class that looks like it may be followed by another one. We need to shore up the DL of the future with this class as well. If we continue to do that, we’ll have chances in the future.

Also, let me add that this will mark 2 NYD bowl appearances in the last 2 seasons, which matches the total of NYD bowl appearances we had in the previous 37 seasons. Thanks to the team, Nutt, and his staff for that.

by RebelBruiser on Dec 1, 2009 11:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

The Shot

Rips me apart when I think about it…and I didn’t really care about the Rebels in 1998. I remember watching the game though – and my March Madness bracket – go down the tubes.

by Role Player on Dec 1, 2009 11:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Good article but.....

“I know it is going to sting a little, but say it with me: “So long as Ole Miss is favored to win something, it won’t. Ever.”

We were favored to win against LSU.
I believe it was around 5 if im not mistaken.
I only bring this up because is was very worried about us actually being “favored” in that game, but it turned out alright somehow.

Marty Stuart was a dope head.

by Rebel Yell on Dec 1, 2009 11:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think he's focusing on big picture "favored"

rather than on individual games. We’ve won plenty of games we were favored in, including some big ones, but when our program is favored to do good things in general, across the stretch of a season or a post-season, we tend to collapse just enough to prevent any sense of accomplishment from setting in.

by RightRev on Dec 1, 2009 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, shit man...

…makes you wonder why we have an athletic department. Sure would save us a lot of sorrow (and as some of my uber-nerd friends would point out, free up funds for academics). But then we wouldn’t have a P-Willie, or a Deuce, or a Manning legacy, or a Conerly Trophy (which they gave to a fucking Bulldog this year, don’t get me started), or one of the best chancellors we had in years (seriously, put sore feelings aside about Col. Reb and look at what actually was accomplished in 15 years), or “The Immaculate Deflection” of 1983, etc. Hell if it wasn’t for Ole Miss basketball, would we have had a Sean Tuohy? Who would have taken in Michael Oher; WOULD he have been taken in? Fuck…you want to win a championship, I got news for you…move to a weaker conference or FCS, that’s the only way as long as we have to play in the SEC. And if this makes you feel any better…State and Southern won’t win a championship either. That’s what happens when you have three FBS schools in the poorest state in the U.S. fighting for recruits and money…and the best players in the state would rather go to Bama or Florida.

Oh, and I’m waiting for the “well we got rid of all our TRADITIONS, dur dur durrr, that’s why COTG (tm Orson Swindle) won’t let us win, dur durrrrr” meme.

"I feel like I’m in The Sound of Music and the theme is "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Jevan?"

by Queen Hoka-Hotty-Toddy on Dec 1, 2009 12:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

"Free up funds for academics?"

How so? Successful athletics programs return so much money to the university that it’d be detrimental to academics to abandon them.

Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.

by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Dec 1, 2009 12:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

True, true.

On another note though, you are pathetically defeatist. You left no sense of hope in this column/rant/thingy, and you foolishly consider your lack of hope as what’s “more appropriate than most of us are willing to admit.”

Hope is what keeps us getting excited when the media strokes our nipples or when we win a big game early in the season. If you don’t have hope you are more depressed than I thought, and I hope you do not hang out with Whiskey Wednesday anymore because that could make for a disastrous duo.

Stawp g’tin tuchee-feelie, zzzEmOgOeStzzz. I dun’t lyke noin ur Emoshuns!

by Role Player on Dec 1, 2009 12:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That last line makes me want to murder you.

And you know, I did spend a good bit of time with WW this week.

Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.

by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Dec 1, 2009 12:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hooten Dale cain’t couch fooball

I think the main problem was lofty expectations. How many top 5 preseason teams stay in the top 5 all season long without the aid of cheating… errr… prime SEC officiating? I, and probably Bradley Sowell, am happy the regular season is over.

I’m looking forward to a [hopeful] thrashing of OK State at Jerryland and hopefully a Tyler Campbell punt that knocks down his huge-ass hanging Jumbotron.

by 7thYearJunior on Dec 1, 2009 12:51 PM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

Snead was/is the problem

Jevan Snead was supposed to be, like, great this year. He wasn’t.

He wasn’t even good. He was bad, in fact. The guy threw 17 goddamn interceptions.

I think I could effectively argue that Snead’s poor overall play alone cost us every game we lost this year. I know that Sowell has been called out a lot, and oftentimes deservedly so, but our o-line only gave up 13 sacks this season (compared with 20 last year), which suggests to me that our passing problems were way more about Snead’s failure to execute rather than Sowell’s. Well, that and the fact that I watched 10 games this year and could see with my own goddamn eyes that Snead was awful.

And yet, with our quarterback playing that poorly, we still managed to win 8 games, go .500 in conference play and secure a good bowl berth. Looking back on the season now, I think we managed to do that because of the coaching we had and not in spite of it, and this makes me very optimistic about our program going forward.

This was a disappointing year. Everybody knows it was. But it wasn’t a failure. I was a student in 1987 when were ranked in the preseason top 10 and then went 3-8. I know from Rebel failures, and back-to-back Cotton Bowls is not failure.

I hope to see some of you guys in Dallas.

Don't try and lay no boogie woogie on the king of rock 'n roll.

by RobRob9 on Dec 1, 2009 1:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

More on this tomorrow.

Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.

by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Dec 1, 2009 1:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can't really agree with you

I would posit Jevan did an alright job. The problems he had seemed to be that early in the season he was trying to be our offense on his own. The coaches and Jevan himself seemed to have bought into the hype that he was one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. So they threw and threw and threw. Nevermind that the O-line was at best inconsistent and unreliable (13 sacks is a pretty number, but its not indicative of how well the O-line played…. Give me the number of times Jevan was pressured, hit, and knocked down; I’m willing to bet that its much less flattering), nevermind that we never found a suitable replacement for Mike Wallace, and nevermind that we were not putting the ball in the hands of our most dangerous offensive player. Once we started going to Dexter, getting big runs, making defenses play honest, that is when Jevan started doing much better. It also happened to be around the time the O-line got their shit together. I’m not saying Jevan was at all great this year, but I don’t think 4 losses are his fault.

by Mitch Planey on Dec 1, 2009 1:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What kills me

Is that Snead does have NFL-caliber mechanics. His arm is NFL-strong, his drops are good and his delivery motion is quicker and more efficient than most guys starting in the pros right now. He’s even shown he can run with some quickness and has very good field awareness when he does. It’s the other stuff — the stuff going on in his head that makes him stare down receivers or overthrow wide-open running backs in the flat, among other things — that has been so frustrating.

It’s the stuff between his ears that needs fixing.

And for the record — I like Jevan. He seems like a good kid and he’s shown toughness this year on and off the field. He never said one stupid thing in all of the preseason interviews he gave, and he’s continued saying the right things even in tough times. I hope he bounces back next year, and not just for the Rebels.

Don't try and lay no boogie woogie on the king of rock 'n roll.

by RobRob9 on Dec 1, 2009 2:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And what goes on in his head

is exactly why Mack Brown went with a smaller, weaker armed, but football smart, Colt McCoy when they were freshman at UT. Lots of UT die hards were pissed that Jevan did not get a chance because he was the prototypical big, strong-armed gun slinger and many thought that he was the better QB.

by sareb on Dec 1, 2009 11:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

LOL

I’m pretty tired of all of this. I’m pretty tired of having to defend Houston Nutt and I’m pretty tired of having to defend my alma mater for hiring the guy.

Yet you still make LSU fans defend Miles. Hmmmm

by LSU Jonno on Dec 2, 2009 11:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

We make LSU fans defend Miles?

Where are people getting this?

Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.

by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Dec 2, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I guess the Trindon Holliday piece?

But that was so accurate.

Red Cup Rebellion - An Ole Miss Blog
Blame the Baptists.

by Juco All-American on Dec 2, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm failing to see what the problem is.

Sure our expectations were high, but not going to Atlanta does not make this season a failure. Hell, we went winless in the conference 2 years ago, and now we’re going to a NYD bowl game for the second straight year. How in the hell can anyone degrade Nutt for that. In the post Eli years, my fandom mostly consisted of checking the scores on Sportcenter. Granted, I had a lot going on (trying to get into nursing school, trying to graduate, starting my career, etc.), but it wasn’t fun to see who was beating the shit out of us each week. When I was in NM and WA, watching Ole Miss was one way to feel like I was a little closer to home and not sweating my nuts off in the desert. Houston Nutt made Ole Miss football fun again.
Plus, as we all know, this season has had its heartbreaking and gut-wrenching moments, but could anyone tell me that it hasn’t been a hell of a lot of fun?

by TheOnlySouthernMissRebelFan on Dec 2, 2009 12:34 PM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

Can't say that, no.

I attended three games this season (plus one State game…come on, it was only to watch the JSU band), which is the most football I’ve attended personally in years. Sure the Bama game was a rainy flop, with the only silver lining being that my other favorite team is now 12-0 (if they had beaten Ole Miss only to lose to another team I would have been REALLY pissed), but I can’t say I’ve had more fun at a game than I did at the Tennessee and LSU games. Particularly the Tennessee one…morning kickoff led to an early afternoon win, which resulted in some great celebratory tailgating in PERFECT weather.

We’ll have to do it again next year…and this time a) I’ll find y’all’s freakin tent in the Grove this time, and b) let’s hope we’re NOT ranked in the preseason…AP and Coaches, don’t do us any favors.

"I feel like I’m in The Sound of Music and the theme is "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Jevan?"

by Queen Hoka-Hotty-Toddy on Dec 2, 2009 12:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs