Rebel Roundup - August 6, 2012

I'm Back, and I Immediately Regret It
It's not that I don't love you fine people, it's just that a week of vacation in the cool, clean air of the San Juan mountains will really cause you to seriously examine your priorities in life. This whole "career and school" thing may give way to "bussing tables in Telluride for the sake of living out West" - but I won't quit you, Red Cup.

So, what did I miss while I was away?

Preseason Report: Defense Shows Energy | OleMissSports.com
Oh, just three days of Ole Miss Rebel fall football practice, that's all. We will have more on this later this afternoon as we compile reports from the official mothership, the Enemy of the Cup, etc.

Depth issues will force Ole Miss to play freshman | The Clarion-Ledger
True freshmen cornerback Anthony Sandifer, receiver Cody Core, safeties Trae Elston and Quintavious Burdette, and halfbacks I'Tavius Mathers and Jaley Walton have all gotten significant reps in fall practice thus far. Hugh Freeze says that, in a typical year, he'd redshirt every one of his freshmen. This year, though, ain't so typical.

Lingering ACL tear shelves Ole Miss' D.T. Shackelford for second consecutive season | CBSSports.com
This is just absolutely heartbreaking. Yet again, DT Shackelford, a naturally gifted linebacker and an all-around excellent student-athlete, will miss a year of Rebel football. His knee is taking a very long time to recover, meaning that we likely won't see him on the field in a Rebel uniform again until 2013.

Ole Miss' drug policy beefed up: 3 strikes and the player's out | The Clarion-Ledger
The Rebel football program was notoriously lax on drug use. I mean, we ain't never lost a party RIGHT GUYS?! Hugh Freeze is changing that, though, and will be tougher on his players who are caught lighting up the reefer, toking the keesha, puffing the magic dragon, smoking dope, getting elevated, havin' a J, and so forth.

Ole Miss rises on Forbe’s ranking of Best Value Colleges | Memphis Business Journal
Not football, but important nonetheless. If I were to guess, I'd say two things led to this ranking: an overall improved academic environment and endowment; and very low tuition costs. Considering how inexpensive it is to attend Ole Miss (seriously, just look up Vanderbilt's tuition and wonder why it is that the Honors College has to turn down so many applicants every year), students can get a lot of "bang for their buck" so to speak. I'm quite proud to see Ole Miss as a Forbes' top-20 university when considering the "value" of the education offered.